


See Through The Impenetrable Fog

by Cryopearl



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Abuse, And angst, Because kiyos sister is a dick, But mostly fluff, Fluff, M/M, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Uhhhh i try my hardest to stick to canon but theres a few dumb headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-26 14:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 39,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12559928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cryopearl/pseuds/Cryopearl
Summary: [Edit]I bumped this up to Teen and Up bc of some heavier stuff in the storyAnyways GontaGuuji is adorable and I will make all of its content myself if it really comes down to thatAlso, this is taking place in the AU where they all reject the killing game and try to live normally. Technically it's going on, and there are still motives, but everybody just said "fuck that" and now they're doing their own thing. It's my first work so it's not the best, but I still think it's pretty good! Also, I update regularly and have no plans to abandon this!! Hope you enjoy!!! :0





	1. A Proper Meeting

Gonta had always been an interesting person to Korekiyo. Being somebody who did not grow up with humans, he had an incredibly unique personality and view on life, and therefore was a truly entertaining and insightful study. To think the kindest and most selfless person in the group was raised by the savage, uncivilized part of the world that was controlled by natural forces...

It was fascinating.

Though many people called Korekiyo a creepy stalker, he didn't see it. He was simply passionate about learning more about people and the ways they lived their lives. He followed Gonta around near constantly, always jotting down notes as Gonta would help bring a bug trapped indoors back outside, or how he tried so desperately to be seen as a gentleman. He was aware of his lack of intelligence, yet never gave up because of it. He seemed unnaturally good, hardworking, and kindhearted in every way.

A week and a half into his research, Korekiyo realised he could only learn so much from being an outside observer. And besides, Gonta was beginning to suspect somebody was following him around. He would be caught sooner or later, so the best course of action was to speak to him and... what was the word? "Befriend" the friendly entomologist, if you could really say that was part of Korekiyo's true goal. This was purely for research, wasn't it?

-

Korekiyo had predicted Gonta's schedule for the day, and was waiting at what should be his next stop. He made a quick note in his notepad and shoved it into his pocket before Gonta came around the corner, bumping into him.

"Aah, Korekiyo!" Gonta exclaimed. Korekiyo was knocked back, as he hadn't thought to brace himself for the collision. "Gonta sorry, he not see you!"

Korekiyo fixed his hat, which had been crooked on his head. He smoothly replied with "There is no need to apologize. You said you did not see me, so there is nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, but-"

"There is nothing to be sorry for," Korekiyo repeated, "and besides, I was looking for you anyways."

Gonta cocked his head in confusion. "Korekiyo was looking for Gonta?"

"Yes. I had something I wanted to ask you about involving a bug in a folktale I recently discovered for myself. I was wondering if you had it, so I could see it in person." This, of course, was a lie. Korekiyo just wanted an excuse to have Gonta bring him to his lab and show him everything in it personally, since you can't get all the details exclusively from silent observations.

Gonta's previously confused expression turned into one of pure joy at the mention of bugs. "Oh, Kiyo want to know more about bugs? Gonta would be happy to help!" Korekiyo swore he could see actual sparkles in his eyes. "When you want to come? Gonta free any day!"

Although Korekiyo was normally a man of great patience, he felt it would be best to go now rather than wait. Gonta may not have as much time to prepare for a lecture this way, but his curiosity was too strong. And in a way, on-the-spot lectures coming from pure passion were the most beautiful, weren't they?

"Right now would be best for my schedule. Lead the way, Gonta."

Gonta smiled and grabbed Korekiyo's hand with the force of a hydraulic press. He then proceeded to quite literally drag Korekiyo all the way to his lab as fast as his huge legs could take him. Surprisingly, Korekiyo did not appreciate being hit in the face with every single branch from the bushes Gonta ran through.

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived. Gonta let go of Korekiyo's hand (which was now completely numb and shaped oddly from the pressure), and Korekiyo stood there panting and covered in scratches. Gonta beamed while he surveyed the walls lined with bugs.

"So, what bug is Korekiyo looking for?"

The question caught Korekiyo off guard. He had completely forgotten about the question he had made up. "Ah, um.." he choked out between gasps for breath, "it was... it was a, ah, a white caterpillar."

Gonta stood and thought for a moment, before asking a few more questions.

"Is it fuzzy?"

"Is it long?"

"Is it only white or does it have more colours?"

Yes, no, yes. Those were his responses. He remembered seeing some sort of caterpillar that looked like that before, during one of his trips throughout the globe. It had nothing to do with any sort of story he'd heard before, but so long as he picked a real bug, he could get Gonta to talk more.

Gonta had grabbed a container and brought it down to Korekiyo from a high shelf. "Is this bug Korekiyo was asking for?" Gonta questioned.

"Yes, that's the one." Korekiyo replied. He tensed up. As much as he wanted to observe Gonta, he could never get used to the bugs. He greatly disliked them, almost to the point where it could be considered a phobia. But he tolerated them for his research.

"This is the larvae of white hickory tussock moth," Gonta started to explain, "and they leave bad rash if you touch them. They're so fuzzy though, that sometimes Gonta can't help himself! Gonta always regret it later, though.."

"Where can they be found? And what do they grow into when they become older?"

"Oh, usually they in North America! White hickory caterpillar grow into moth, with pretty brown wings! Hey, Korekiyo, what story is caterpillar in?"

Shit.

Still tense from the hundreds of bugs surrounding him, Korekiyo managed to sputter out the words "I'll tell you later, but before that, I-I'd like to know more about your lab." Each word was hell to spit out. Every part of him was screaming to leave, except for his anthropologist side, which was screaming at him to stay. This war went on behind an eerily calm composure.

Gonta immediately forgot his previous request and started to happily rant about his top-of-the-line bug nets, his favourite specimens (Although he claimed to not pick favourites, he very obviously enjoyed some more than others), and how he should have bigger containers for his bug friends because the small ones they have now are too cramped. He went on for hours, until Korekiyo grew exhausted simply from being around such an excessive amount of both vigor and bugs.

"Your bugs are truly fascinating, but I feel I should be getting back. It's growing late, you know." Korekiyo was starting to lose his collected facade, instead opting for barely visible discomfort that Gonta thankfully was too oblivious to notice. The two waved goodbye to each other before parting ways. As Korekiyo began to pull out his notepad, he heard loud footsteps coming up behind him before suddenly being run over by what felt like a truck.

"Gonta sorry, Gonta so sorry! Not mean it!!" Gonta apologized profusely. Korekiyo slowly lost consciousness.

-

When he awoke, he was in his room. It was well after dark, and there was a note on his pillow. He picked it up and began to read it.

In messy handwriting, it said:

"Kiyo (There were a lot of crossed out and misspelled "Korekiyo"s before he seemingly settled for the shorter version of his name), Gonta sorry he make you sleep! Gonta run into you because Gonta wanted to ask you if meeting again tomorrow would be ok! But could not stop in time. It's ok if you not want to, but Gonta will hope anyways! Rest well!!!"

Korekiyo read the note over a few more times. It made him laugh, how enthusiastic Gonta was. This type of purity and passion is what made humans so beautiful, and he would gladly meet him again tomorrow. The problem was, however, that Gonta hadn't given and sort of time or meeting place. That would make things difficul-

Wait.

He heard a buzzing around his room.

No.

No no no no no.

He noticed there was writing on the back of the note.

"P.S. I put beetle in your room, in case Korekiyo wants friend for night!"

He started to reconsider.


	2. More Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ??? I'm terrible at summaries, as was proven in the last chapter. But, if I had to try, it's just Kiyo trying to learn more I guess? Gonta is an interesting guy, my dude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking maybe 3 chapters of just Korekiyo fuckin around before we get into the Fun Stuff. So after this is only one more chapter of the boring stuff that's only here to ground the plot :0

Despite last night's incident, Korekiyo had decided to seek out Gonta again. He had gotten rid of the bug in an... undignified way that he'd never tell another living soul about. Or any dead souls, either.

(He barricaded himself into the corner of his room)

(With a stool, a blanket, and bugspray)

(He might have cried)

(But that's beside the point)

Kiyo had been walking around the school for almost two hours straight. Having been given no set time or area, he had to go on a wild goose chase for the absurdly mobile entomologist. He kept checking his monopad for his location, but it seemed to change every five seconds. He wasn't about to give up, though.

Yesterday had been a great success for his research. He had learned many things about Gonta, such as how knowledgeable he was on insects, despite not knowing the basic rules of grammar. He also had names for every one of his bugs, knew the exact length of each of his bug nets, and had over 30 back-up pairs of glasses, since he broke them so often. Korekiyo was determined to have another, even more productive research session today, or be damned trying. His legs were becoming tired though, so he found a soft, grassy spot outside and sat down to rest.

With no warning, only moments after he had sat down, Gonta came barreling through the clearing. He rushed past, only a couple inches- no, centimetres, away from Kiyo's face. He held a bug net in one hand while the other swung wildly by his side. He seemed to be chasing some sort of beetle. Soon enough, Korekiyo spring to his feet and dashed after him, careful not to lose sight of Gonta.

Gonta had much more stamina than Korekiyo could ever hope to have. He was out of breath after two minutes of running at top speed, and slowed down only after Gonta had turned a sharp corner, finally leaving his field of vision. Korekiyo slowly rounded said corner, trying to catch his breath, when he saw Gonta crouched by the right wall with his hand stretched out on the ground. There was a small brown beetle on it. Korekiyo silently observed.

Gonta let the bug crawl on his hand for a few moments before finally putting it in the container always hanging by his side. He ripped some leaves off of the nearby plants as well, and placed them in the container with it. He turned around to leave, but then noticed Korekiyo. He decided to start conversation.

"Korekiyo! Gonta didn't see you there! Did Kiyo want to speak with Gonta?" He asked curiously, "Gonta ok with speaking to Kiyo right now! Gonta not busy."

"I'm glad you asked. I've been looking for you for a short while, but haven't been able to catch you. I wanted to know if you felt like spending time with me."

Socializing is like that, right? A person simply goes up to another and asks to talk. Normally conversations start naturally, but forced conversations aren't always bad...

'You can only learn so much through observation,' Korekiyo thought. What a shame.

"Yes, Gonta would love that! Where Kiyo want to go to have fun?"

Oh, it worked flawlessly. Perhaps he was more knowledgeable on speaking to other people than he thought. He was the ULTIMATE anthropologist for a reason, wasn't he? Though talking to strangers was different from talking to classmates, they were all people in the end. You just say words to them and conversations will begin.

"What about to the library?" He suggested, "I'm sure there is a wide variety of books there, so there should be something to fuel your passion for bugs with information, correct?"

Gonta considered the proposal for a moment before cheerily answering with a 'sure'. Together they made their way to the large, dusty room, which was unsurprisingly empty when they arrived. They began searching for books on bugs immediately, but only found two, both of which had vocabularies too large for Gonta to understand. They then switched gears and started to hunt for nursery rhymes, fairy tales, children's books, etc. Gonta asked about the meaning behind each and every one.

"This one symbolizes the black plague. That one is to instill fear and a sense of obedience into children. That one was made to keep children from staying up late at night." Korekiyo lost himself a bit and rambled happily about every single one, though most of them brought visible discomfort to Gonta's face, simply because of how dark the were. Yet he kept asking and absorbing the new information, so Korekiyo saw no problems.

Eventually, the nighttime announcement went off, and they were forced to move back to their rooms. Gonta escorted Korekiyo back to his room, as a true gentleman would do. They said their farewells before going into their rooms, but not before Gonta proposed they spend time together again tomorrow, this time in Korekiyo's lab. Kiyo had happily accepted the offer, and was looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha Korekiyo's a nerd  
> Also it's almost 2:30 am and it shows really badly in my writing  
> Next chapter will he longer and more dialogue heavy aaaaa


	3. Should I really bother with title names?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ???  
>  Ggfggfuck it's 4 am why can't I have a normal sleep schedule also I've eaten approximately 10000 kit kats today and I might have destroyed my stomach with the sheer amount of candy I have consumed in the past few days please help me  
> Anyways the usual stuff goes on  
> Bla bla bla I'm tired

Korekiyo was awoken by the sudden banging on his door. Now, this was not an "oh, somebody is here, I should see who it is" sort of awakening. It was more of an, "oh my god holy shit what's that noise time to freak out" sort of awakening. He shot forward, sitting up in his bed, and stared at the door blankly. The banging had ceased and left Korekiyo in a state of confusion.

After a couple moments in which Kiyo sat still, doing nothing but rapidly think about why he was brought back to consciousness in such an abrasive way, yelling came from the other side of the door. It was muffled, and clearly not directed towards him. Snapping back into reality, he pulled himself from his covers and replaced his "sleeping mask" with his "socializing mask" (Did he really need this many masks? Yes. Yes he did). In that timeframe, the speech behind the door stopped, while the knocking started again. It was much softer this time.

Korekiyo glanced at the clock. _"5 am?" _he thought to himself,_ "who could possibly be knocking on my door this early? Not even I wake up at this time."_ he made his way to the door and turned the knob to reveal an overly excited Gonta. Kirumi was on the other side of the room, sweeping the floor in front of the rooms directly across from them. Kiyo covered his eyes at the sudden light source, since being in a dark room doesn't exactly prepare you for such a bright environment. 

An exhausted Korekiyo could only squeeze out a quick "What is it that you n-" before Gonta pushed past him, making his way into his room. "Gonta was so excited to see Kiyo's stuff that Gonta woke up extra early!" He happily exclaimed as he grabbed Korekiyo by the wrist and pulled him in with him. He caught a faint "Be more quiet!" From Kirumi as he pulled the door shut.

"Gonta sorry for being so loud and ungentlemanly... Kiyo didn't answer for doorbell, so had to get attention some other way." Gonta explained while looking around the anthropologist's room. It was rather plain, but had a couple masks hanging on the walls that Kiyo had collected over the years, along with two notebooks on his desk; one that was brand new, and one that Kiyo had been writing in for about two months before they were brought to the prison school. It was around 3/4ths filled, and had some... _interesting and unique_ information written down in it. Nothing he could ever show somebody else without being called insane and/or stalkerish, anyways.

"Its fine," Korekiyo reassured, "I was only planning on sleeping for a while longer. Being woken earlier than usual allows me to see things I would normally miss, so it's a nice change of pace." While this was mostly true, he had to admit that sleeping longer would have been preferred. He wasn't the type to go to sleep early, so being woken up at the crack of dawn was terrible for his sleep schedule. He'd likely be groggy all day because of this. Gonta, however, seemed to be the opposite.

"Is Kiyo sure? Then, why don't we see your lab right now?" Gonta seemed as excited and vigorous as ever, despite the time of day. "Alright," Korekiyo replied, "but I need to get dressed before we depart." Gonta only then seemed to notice what he was wearing, apologized, and left the room. He waited outside as Kiyo got dressed.

They chatted as they walked down the halls and up the stairs and down more halls until they reached the screen door which led to his lab. Most of their small talk was, predictably, about bugs and how excited Gonta was to see his lab. Korekiyo opened the door and led Gonta inside. Gonta immediately let out a gasp, amazed at the lab.

"Wh-whoa...! Kiyo really get to have this huge room?? There's so much stuff!!"

"Its not just any 'stuff', these are all highly valuable and informational artifacts and documents," Kiyo began to ramble, "and the most amazing part isn't the quantity. I, personally, am stunned by the authenticity of it all. None of this is cheaply replicated. All of it is real, or a near perfect copy of it, and tha-"

Kiyo had turned his back for five seconds, only to turn back around and find Gonta petting the dog statue. "Gonta, don't just touch it!!" Kiyo yelled in a panic. Didn't he know what he was doing?? He could seriously damage it if he was careless! Gonta flung himself backwards. "Gonta sorry! Just wanted to pet dog!!"

Korekiyo rushed over to cover it back up. How had he managed to remove the glass pane so quietly, and so quickly? "It's fine, just... just don't touch anything else without asking me! Ok?" He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. _It's ok, nothing was damaged. Don't worry._

"That was not gentlemanly... Gonta sorry. Gonta should have asked first." Gonta began to apologize. "Gonta, don't be so quick to apologize," Kiyo said, "you didn't know any better. Now you know for future reference."

Gonta sighed, reluctantly accepting the kind words.

"Would you like me to tell you the story behind this dog?"

"...yes."

"Well," he began, "long ago, there was a village, called the 'Caged Dog Village." He told Gonta everything about it, from how it was completely destroyed, to the rituals the dog statue and cage were used in, about how the village held secrets to dark spells... and the book one girl wrote about all of it in. Gonta was moderately horrified, yet seemed curious, which was not an unexpected reaction.

"Not much else is known about the village, but that's why it has been of such interest to me. Some day, I hope, I will be able to solve all the mysteries surrounding this long-destroyed-but-not-forgotten town."

"...Gonta thinks he's been taught enough about history today."

Korekiyo laughed quietly. "Well, most people feel the same way after hearing about this particular story. I can't blame you." He walked over to the case the book was in and stared at it. He had no reason to read it, since he had perfectly memorized a copy already, but to think that the real thing was right in front of him was incredible.

"Sorry that Gonta can't be as excited. Maybe Gonta just not sleep enough... or maybe, Gonta hungry and that why he's tired already?" Gonta's stomach growled. It was almost 8 am. Korekiyo had been gushing over this village for close to _three hours..._

"Well then, shall we make our way to the dining hall for breakfast?" Kiyo suggested, feeling hungry as well. Gonta nodded and dragged him all the way there. He was probably going to have to get used to that.

They had friendly small talk over pancakes, though Ouma tried to drag Gonta away a couple times. They talked about the school, more bugs, and what they would do if they got out. No, WHEN they got out.

"Gonta want to become true gentleman and show the world how great bugs are!" Gonta declared enthusiastically. "What about Kiyo? What does he want to do?"

"What I have planned for the future isn't exactly relevant or important, but I plan to continue with my work in anthropology. Nothing terribly special or shocking."

"Hm? Gonta thinks it's important! It's Kiyo's future, of course it's special!"

"..."

"Kiyo, why you study people anyways? You think it's fun, right?"

"Well, yes, but I would never have been interested in the subject in the first place, had it not been for my sister."

"Sister? Is she nice?"

"She is wonderful. The most important person in my life, without a doubt."

"That sounds nice. Gonta wishes he could be that connected with his family..."

Korekiyo paused. "Well, perhaps someday you will. Familial bonds can never truly be broken. I will hope for your success in becoming closer with them."

Gonta smiled. "Gonta hopes that some day he will be close with family, too!"

After some more small talk (Surprise surprise, it was about bugs), they parted ways for their daily routines. It was an unspoken promise that Gonta would meet him again the next morning. As night fell, Korekiyo went to his room and got ready to sleep. 

Then She decided to start speaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 5:40 am hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  
> It took me almost 2 hours to write this garbage??? Damn I should sleep


	4. Fuck it I'm bad at making good titles for stuff so I just won't do that anymore!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyo and his sister have a heart-to-heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biiiiig warning for self harm/abuse in this chapter because Korekiyo's sister is Not A Nice Person

In the back of his head, he heard a sickly sweet voice ask him a question.

_"You still love me, right?"_

"Of course I do."

_"Then why haven't you been speaking with me as often as usual? These past few days have been lonely. You aren't replacing me with that... odd man, are you?"_

"I could never even consider doing such a terrible thing to you. You are my beloved after all, yes?"

_"Why are you shaking?"_

Korekiyo hadn't even noticed it. He had broken out into a cold sweat and was shaking in a way that might suggest he had been locked in a freezer. He had no reason to, of course; there was nothing to fear about his Sister. But he couldn't seem to help it. He knew what was coming and dreaded it, even if he deserved it.

_"You can't hide your thoughts from me, you know. I have free roam of your mind. You have been observing that man with great interest lately. You would never think higher of him than you do me, would you? That would break my poor, ill heart, you know. Would you want that?"_

"No. I would never want to bring harm to you, Sister." He was shaking even harder. He felt like a leaf on a windy autumn day, desperately clinging on to a tree, despite the inevitability of it falling.

_"Good lovers don't shake, don't you know? How will you protect me and make me happy when you're so emotional and vulnerable?"_

"I'm sorry, Sister, I can't seem to-"

_"It's bad to be so scared. You can confide anything to me, of course, but never show it to the world. Others will take advantage of it. You'll be hurt. And so, you must train yourself for it. Never cry. Never stutter. Not even in private. Otherwise, you're emotional garbage, incapable of thinking clearly, yes?"_

"..."

"....."

"......."

_"You really should apologize properly, you know. No apology is done right unless you are punished and have learned from the experience."_

"...yes, Sister. Of course."

No longer in control of his body, She sat up and opened the drawer to his bedside desk. Inside of it there were pens, pencils, paper, scissors, all your general desk supplies... and one kitchen knife. Meant to cut meat cleanly, nice and shiny. Stolen from the dining hall for self defense. She pulled up his sleeves and unwrapped the bandages covering his arms, covered in scars. She picked up the knife, brought it to the skin, and gave control back.

_"I trust that you haven't forgotten how to give yourself proper punishment."_

He took a gulp of air, looked away, and gripped the knife tightly. Without saying a word...

_One._

_Two._

_Three times._

His grip loosened on the knife, now covered in blood. It fell to the floor. His arm was filled with the familiar pain of Her icy wrath. He deserved it. After a few minutes of pain, She took control once again and wrapped it back up. The bandages became stained pink.

_"My dear Korekiyo, do you not know to take care of your punishments? The pain you must feel should only be temporary. Permanent injuries from these would only negatively affect your future."_

Korekiyo managed to breathe out a quiet "I'm sorry" between his silent gasps for air. He was careful to not cry, because that wasn't something She would appreciate.

_"Well now you know better, don't you? If you want to observe that man, I cannot stop you, but I recommend you do it from a distance. He is not somebody fit to be a friend of mine, so if you get close to him, it must because of your own interest, yes? Which would mean you've abandoned me. I wouldn't be able to bear that..."_

Warmth suddenly enveloped him. It was as though She was giving him Her kind, gentle embrace. He didn't deserve Her pity or love, yet She gave it to him anyways. He truly was lucky that She cared so much for him, so he should do everything he could for her. Nobody else would care for him if She didn't, right? 

"Don't worry, I would never abandon you. You are the one who loves me, and I could never betray that for anything, nor would I want to."

_"That's a good Korekiyo. Now, go to sleep. You must be exhausted. Goodnight, my love."_

Korekiyo wiped the knife off on the underside of his pillow so nobody could see the blood, and placed it back in the desk. He got under his covers while making sure his sore arm avoided contact with anything. "Goodnight, my love."

She smiled as he fell asleep, but for the first time, it felt... off to him.

It felt malicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


	5. Haha damn I gotta update more often

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ???¿¿¿??? Shit dude I dunno also my back hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really tired? nd should probably sleep lmao

Korekiyo had an odd and vivid dream that night.

It was reminiscent of one of his favourite myths: Medusa, the beautiful goddess of nature who, over time, turned into a monster.

A tall, young, and lanky boy had trouble with life. His appearance wasn't stunning, and he was often overlooked or deliberately ignored. When he got attention from his peers, it was usually negative, but he grew used to it. He found no passion for his schoolwork or home life. Even for as young as he was, he was wondering whether his life had any meaning.

One day, a beautiful girl with a soft face and long black hair decided to be his friend. No, not a friend... a guardian. She looked after the boy, and kept him away from those who harassed him. They weren't worth the effort, they were sorry bastards with nothing better to do... the boy was better off ignoring them.

The advice helped greatly. The boy locked his emotions in a box and buried them. There was no reason to care about others views of him, and there was even less reason to show that he did. He tamed and conquered the wild that was humanity.

He no longer needed the girls advice, but she turned into a venomous monster. She told the boy over and over that she made him into who he was. She was his goddess, she deserved his unwavering loyalty. Then, a great hero came to slay her.

Kiyo woke in a cold sweat. What could that dream have meant? If it meant anything at all, that is. Dreams always reflected the subconscious, but surely there was nothing on his mind that could be interpreted as _that_ , yes? Nothing to worry about, so going back to sleep seems to be a good option right no-

It was 9:17 am. Korekiyo had overslept way past his usual schedule... He should hurry to the dining hall, so the others didn't worry about him. They had all come to an agreement to not harm each other despite the killing games rules, and it had been about 2 whole weeks since they had gotten here, but the motives HAD been a little more pushy lately...

No time to think about it. He jumped out of bed in a panic and began to get dressed as quickly as possible, though it still took him a while. He brushed the knots out of his hair, wrapped clean bandages around his now sore arm, and rushed out the door and down the hall (in the most calm and collected way possible, mind you). When he reached the dining hall, the only ones there, thankfully, were Kirumi, Amami, and Angie. Kirumi was cleaning the area while Angie pestered Amami about converting to her religion.

"Ah, Shinguuji, your breakfast is cold," Kirumi stated. "I was about to throw it out, but if you'd like, I could reheat it for you."

"The offer is much appreciated. However, I am content with eating it cold." It was a simple breakfast. Eggs, ham, and toast, all nicely placed on a ceramic plate. "In fact, I was planning on bringing my meal back to my room. I hope you do not mind."

"Not at all. However, I must request that you bring your dirty dishes back when you are done, so that I may clean them."

"Certainly."

"I mean all of them, Shinguuji. I have seen you bring many cups of water or tea to your room, yet I have not once seen you bring any out. I am aware that you are not the tidiest person, but it is bad to leave a food related mess in your room. It could grow mold or attract pests "

Damn, he'd been caught. He never felt up to bringing his late night drinks back to the dining hall, mainly because of the constant threat of murder, but also because of plain laziness. Kirumi had pushed him into a corner, though.

"...very well. Though, you never specified _when_ I had to bring them back." He replied with a hidden smirk.

"If you do not return them, then I will have no choice but to forcibly retrieve them myself. I cannot allow mold," Kirumi began with a serious tone of voice, "so unless you wish for me to make a visit to your room in the middle of the night, I suggest you give them to me when you are finished."

Was...

...was that some sort of threat??

Nevertheless, Kirumi's icy glare cut deep into Korekiyo, who eventually agreed out of pure terror. Kirumi was, arguably, scarier than anybody else in the school when she was upset. He picked up the plate and a fork and made his way to his dorm, eating the bread on his way down. He carried it in his mouth like some cliche protagonist from any of the popular romance anime he had researched in the past.

However, unlike any of said protagonists, he did not bump into a cute boy and fall underneath him in an erotic manner. He got to his room without incident and ate his meal with no interruptions. None from outside sources, anyways.

Korekiyo debated in his head what he should do in regards to Gonta. He didn't exactly see him as a friend, and much less as a romantic partner to replace his Sister, so there should be no risk in continuing to speak with him personally. But there was always that small chance, right...?

No, thinking like that was crazy. Nobody could ever come close to replacing Her. Even considering it was offensive and absurd. If he wanted proper research notes, he would have to speak with him. But with a personality as gentle and kind as Gonta's, was avoiding it really possible?

No no no no, of course it isn't, don't think like that. It's bad to force stupid thoughts like that, and embarrassing, too. There is absolutely no risk in talking to him. And besides, Gonta had begun to notice Korekiyo stalking him. He couldn't do that again if Gonta was actively looking for him, so this was really his only choice. The gentle giant was too interesting a person to pass up. The chances of finding somebody raised in the wild by forest creatures was next to none, yet here he was. Trapped in the same enclosed space as Korekiyo.

So then, it was settled. If he couldn't find him today, then he would definitely look for him tomorrow. So long as She knew their relationship would never go past a specimen being observed by a researcher, there was nothing to worry about. He ate the last bite of his eggs before adding it to the ever growing pile of dirty dishes and silverware. It looked like it would be a pain in the ass to clean, but Kirumi had made it very clear that she would not tolerate any more of a mess in his room, so he really had no choice but to bring them back.

It would definitely have taken at least three trips for the average person, but Korekiyo was determined to make as few journeys to the dining hall as possible. He stacked the mountain of cups on top of one another and placed them on the four plates he carried underneath. Being careful to keep his balance, he shuffled over to the door, and-

Shit, the door was shut.

After many failed attempts, he opened the door and used his foot to shut it behind him. As he entered the dining hall, he peeked behind the tower of cups to see Kirumi's bewildered face. They had only been here for two weeks, how could he possibly have been hoarding so much in his room? Were their rooms seriously big enough to hold that much??? How did he even carry all of this?????

"..."

"....."

"......."

"...just put them on the table."

Not another word was spoken. Clearly Kirumi was at a complete loss for what to say about this... _abomination_ that laid before her. It was a monster of cups and plates, with the occasional fork jutting out from the pile. Korekiyo left, both amazed at Kirumi's determination to clean all of it, and ashamed of himself for letting the pile grow to be that large. There was absolutely no reason for it to get that out of control, yet there it was, being that out of control. Maybe he was the real monster here.

When Korekiyo arrived back at his room, he found a note on it.

"Dear Kiyo, please meet Gonta in bug research lab! Gonta have cool thing to show Kiyo! :)"

The little smiley face at the end was crudely drawn, yet was charming and adorable. It was exactly the type of thing you'd expect from Gonta. Once again, he had forgotten to include a time, but at least he put a location this time. Maybe it'd be best to head over right now? After all, the note must have been placed recently, seeing as it wasn't there when Korekiyo had left for the dining hall.

And with that, Korekiyo turned to the Entomology Research Lab and started making his way there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The excessive amount of dirty dishes may or may not be a headcanon based on my own bad habits


	6. [Insert interesting title here]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Insert equally interesting summary here]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? What's this?? Me, updating two sequential days in a row??? It's more likely than you think.

Korekiyo pushed the door to the Ultimate Entomologist's Research Lab open, and was greeted with a swarm of bugs immediately flying directly into his face. Needless to say, he screamed.

"Kiyo, Gonta is glad you could come over so quickly! Gonta's bug friends seem happy, too!"

Gonta stood there and watched with an intense interest as the bugs crawled all over Korekiyo's face. No, he didn't help get them off, despite the distinctly uncomfortable expression Kiyo had, or the odd stiffness of his body, both of which indicated that he most definitely did not like having his face turned into an open bug container. In fact, Gonta seemed quite oblivious to this, and instead gleefully observed.

Finally, Korekiyo spoke up.

"I... I think I've seen them for long enough, Gonta. Please... take them off..."

Gonta reached for Kiyo's face and swiped the bugs off with one quick motion. He caught them all in the other hand. Despite how rugged Gonta was, his hand was surprisingly soft.

"The bugs really seem to like Kiyo! They tell Gonta that Kiyo didn't move at all, so they wouldn't fall!"

"Y-yes, that's precisely it." Kiyo was still shaken by the sudden and unwelcome experience. Though he found himself able to move again, he was trembling and his movements were jerky. Gonta didn't seem to notice. "Anyways, what was it that you wanted to show me? Surely that couldn't have been it."

"Oh, yeah!" Gonta replied, "Gonta was looking at all the bugs, and remembered there's one that Gonta sees on tv a lot when watching those history shows. Gonta was wondering if Kiyo would be interested in it!"

A bug related to history? If Gonta wanted to know more about it, all he would have to do is describe it. If it showed up in educational programming that often, surely Korekiyo would be able to recognize it easily. However, Gonta seemed hellbent on showing off every bug in his lab one by one, so Korekiyo would just have to put up with it whether he liked it or not. Besides, it was just one more bug. How bad could it be?

His hand was pulled out by Gonta and a beetle was forcefully yet gently placed on his open palm. Korekiyo looked away and froze, not daring to look back at it. _'How bad could it be?'_ he had thought. _Well, apparently the answer was pretty fucking bad._

He kept quiet and forced himself to turn his head towards it, so he wouldn't upset Gonta. Despite him being gentle most of the time, the idea of somebody not liking bugs could send him into an _interesting_ type of episode. If he accidentally set him off, he could be dealing with a forced Bug Meet  & Greet. That was the last thing Korekiyo wanted.

Once he had finally seen the bug, he immediately recognized it.

"Bug is a Scarabaeus Sacer," Gonta began, "but most people call it..."

_A dung beetle. ___

__Korekiyo was holding a dung beetle. He wore bandages, but was disgusted all the same. His face went blank as thoughts raced through his head. Why was he doing this? Was it worth it for some stupid notes? Why did it have to be this bug? Why did it have to be ANY bug? Did he really have to explain the significance of a beetle that rolled animal poop to this man? Why was Gonta so excited about this? Should he just bolt for the exit?_ _

__While he was thinking, Gonta rambled on._ _

__"...lots of people think this bug friend is gross, but Gonta still love them! Gonta see them on tv all the time, but the way the tv people explain them is confusing for Gonta, so Gonta wondered if you could explain! They may do a gross thing, but its still interesting to watch, right? They make perfect circles! But, why are these bug friends so important to people? Gonta wanna know that!!" He was making that irresistible sparkly-eyed look. How could somebody so bad with words be so persuasive?_ _

__He was so persuasive, in fact, that Korekiyo forgot about the bug in his hand and started to explain._ _

__"You see, in ancient Egypt, one of the gods worshipped was the God of creation, Khepri. His job was to roll the sun across the sky, and they drew parallels to how the dung beetle rolled their balls along the ground."_ _

__Gonta listened intently as Korekiyo explained the significance of the scarab, and branched off from there to explain more about Egyptian gods and rituals. He went on a tangent, completely forgetting about all bugs near him._ _

__That is, until the beetle he was holding found its way into his hair, leading to Kiyo freezing up yet again until Gonta removed it for him and placed it back in its container._ _

__He was amazed that Gonta wasn't noticing how uncomfortable he was around bugs. Surely he couldn't actually be this oblivious, right...? By now, he'd normally be convinced that Korekiyo hated bugs (which he did), and try to force a bond between them. Was something different?_ _

__As if to answer his question to himself, Gonta stopped him after their farewells, just as Korekiyo was walking out the door._ _

__"Um, Kiyo, do you... really like bugs?" He didn't have the angry expression he normally wore when asking this question. Instead, he looked genuinely concerned._ _

__"..."_ _

__"Thats... that's what Gonta thought." His concerned expression turned into one of disappointment, and then suddenly into one of determination. "But, Kiyo is still coming to see bugs with Gonta, right? So Kiyo must be trying to love them anyways!"_ _

__So he had noticed. He just didn't do anything, because he though Korekiyo was trying to get over his hatred of bugs. Well, as long as he didn't think he was only getting close to him for research, Kiyo was fine with this interpretation._ _

__"Er, yes. I've been attempting to become closer with them by getting to know you and your lab. It would make my backpack I bring on research trips much lighter, since I then wouldn't feel the need to carry so much bug repellent."_ _

__Gonta smiled when he heard this. "Gonta knows no bad person could like bugs, so Gonta happy to hear that Kiyo is trying so hard!" Without warning, he sprang forward and gave Korekiyo a bone-crushing hug. Seriously, he may have broken a rib._ _

__"G-gonta, you're... crushing me..."_ _

__"Oh, Gonta sorry!!" He apologized as he let go and stepped back. "Gonta just got excited! Anyways, Gonta hope you come back tomorrow, because there are lots more bugs to meet!"_ _

__Ah, yes. More bugs. _Wonderful._ However, it was for important research, so he couldn't turn him down._ _

__"Yes, we will meet here again tomorrow. I will look forward to seeing you then."_ _

__Gonta waved goodbye as Korekiyo left the lab. He felt his chest to check for any damage. The hug had been very painful, but also nice in a way. It was warm and comforting, despite the lack of oxygen and the pressure that felt similar to being hit by many trucks at once, from all sides. He decided to go to Kirumi, who was the closest they had to a nurse, just in case. Hopefully she didn't hold anything against him from earlier._ _


	7. Rumour has it that I ONLY write at midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sudden burst of energy fuck y e a h

"Don't worry, nothing appears to be broken. Gonta may not know exactly how strong he is, but he knows to hold back as to not hurt anybody." Kirumi deduced.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past him entirely, you know. But I do appreciate you checking anyways." Korekiyo replied, "I'd prefer being safe over ignoring it and being permanently damaged."

Kiyo had come back to the dining hall to find Kirumi unsurprisingly washing dishes. She seemed to have gotten through everything from that mornings breakfast, and was in the middle of his personal mess when he had arrived. The smell of lunch in the kitchen was strong. Leave it to the Ultimate Maid to cook while cleaning, and then still being able to take care of an injured classmate.

"What was your business in Gonta's lab, if I may ask? I haven't seen you two together very often, and you don't seem to be the most compatible."

"He had a bug with anthropological relevance that he wished to show me, so I paid him a vis-"

"I bet Kiyo has a _huge thing_ for Gonta," Miu yelled from her seat on the other side of the room, "and he just doesn't want to admit he was there mashing faces! _Gyahahaha!!_ "

Kiyo turned his head slowly and glared at Miu, who cowered in response.

"...w-what? I'm just statin' the facts, y'know!"

"The idea of Gonta and I becoming that close is preposterous." Korekiyo replied, "I find it insulting that somebody who claims to be as much of a genius as you would come up with such an outlandish idea."

"Hey man, no need to go on the defensive! If you wanna shove your thing into him, that's your business. I'm just asking, alright?" Miu immediately brought back her tough act and continued to push him. She now wore a smug grin, knowing Korekiyo couldn't do anything to her no matter how she acted.

Kirumi butted in. "What are you even doing here, Miu? If you're waiting for lunch, then you still have quite a while to wait."

"Nah," Miu replied, "I'm just here cuz I saw that uptight nerd walk in with a weird limp. Figured it'd be good entertainment in some way, right? But so far it's been boring, so I just said what was on my mind, and lo and behold, things got interesting!" She laughed again.

"Its rude to push other people to confess things such as romantic feelings."

_No way, she thinks..._

"I already addressed the issue," Korekiyo started defensively, "I do not hold any feelings towards Gonta." This was getting ridiculous. Even Kirumi Toujou, the stoic maid who always kept her personal thoughts to herself and made rational deductions, was convinced that he had a crush on Gonta. Unbelievable.

Kirumi looked away as she walked back to the kitchen, not making a sound. There wasn't any evidence for this, aside from the fact that Gonta had hugged him, and that Kiyo had secretly gone to his room. And even then, that wasn't anything close to realistic evidence! He was upset, yes, but more than anything he was shocked. Kirumi of all people???

"Gyahaha, Kirumi knows! Why else would you be so vague about this stuff? And why did Gonta hug you, huh? And you _know_ I saw Gonta put that note on your door earlier with a super giddy face, right?? Is this like, a mutual affair? And-"

__

Korekiyo didn't hear her finish because by that point, he had simply gotten up and left the room. There was no sense in arguing with somebody so convinced that a lie was the truth. He didn't exactly have evidence to refute her claims, either, so there wasn't much he could do aside from hope she didn't spread any rumours. However, knowing Iruma, that was unavoidable. Unless she kept that information for blackmail, that is, which was equally likely. 

__

He arrived at his room and laid on his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered for what felt like the hundredth time whether this was really worth it, and again concluded that yes, it was. He rolled onto his side and reached for his notebook and pen, as he had decided to write some notes about the three people he had encountered today. 

__

Miu Iruma: 

__

.Has come up with false information about me that I cannot refute, but believes it to be the truth. (Reminder to self; record what she does with this "information.") 

__

.Shows no reluctance when jumping into other people's conversations. 

__

__

Toujou Kirumi: 

__

.Able to multi-task fantastically. 

__

.Despite being reserved, she is not entirely opposed to gossip, and is not as logical as I first thought. 

__

.Has at least amateur medical experience. 

__

__

Gonta Gokuhara: 

__

.Thinks of others, even when focused on his bugs. 

__

.Overly affectionate ~~and surprisingly soft.~~

__

.Is more excited over the fact that I am "trying to better affiliate myself with bugs" than he is upset that I never liked them in the first place. 

__

Kiyo sighed, stopped writing, and put his pen and notebook on his bedside table. This was ridiculous. Iruma didn't surprise him, but Kirumi? _Kirumi???_

He was probably reading too into things. But the way she rolled her eyes was so... condescending, like she thought she knew more than she did. What was there to know? He absolutely did not have any "thing" for Gonta.

Well, speaking the devil's name summons him. He heard two loud bangs on his door, followed by a pause and four light knocks. Korekiyo got off the bed and opened the door to reveal Gonta's hulking figure taking up his door frame. The open space between Gonta's arm and torso acted as a window through which you could see the rest of the dorms, along with a flash of hot pink which was there for a mere second before disappearing around a corner. _Miu._

Before Korekiyo could think about it any farther, Gonta started talking.

"Hello, Kiyo! Miu told Gonta that you have something you wanted to tell Gonta?" He had an innocent smile. Clearly he hadn't heard. The good news was that meant Miu probably wouldn't tell anyone else. The bad news was that she was DEFINITELY going to blackmail him. Kiyo silently cursed her before denying having anything to say to Gonta.

"You see, Miu is upset at me for some reason, so she lied to you to try and, erm..."

What, 'Waste my time?' 'Inconvenience me?' He was supposed to tell Gonta anything like that, then still expect the specimen to allow him to get close? Miu had backed Korekiyo into a corner, that clever bastard. Thinking back on it, she likely knew what she had been saying wasn't true, but said it anyways to get under his skin.

"...forget what I just said, Gonta. Please, come in, have a seat." He could think of a fake story more easily. And anyways, there was no harm in spending more time with Gonta. Kiyo wanted as much information as possible, didn't he? Gonta stepped in and sat on his bed, looking around his room. He spotted the notebook and began to reach for it.

"Do not touch that," Korekiyo said sternly, "unless you wish for me to _tear your nerves out."_ Admittedly, Korekiyo was still a little upset. He'd just have to try and keep it under control a little better. Gonta pulled his hand away at the speed of light and nodded his head nervously.

"Anyways, I asked Miu to retrieve you because... ah, you showed me a bug you thought I would be interested in, so it's only fair that I tell you a story that you'd enjoy, yes?"

Gonta grinned at the thought. "Gonta gets to hear another story from Kiyo? That sounds so fun!"

"I thought you would find joy in this. I'm glad my assumption was correct. Now, look through these stories and tell me which one you find most captivating." Korekiyo opened his dresser and pulled out three small stacks of books, all taken from his lab. All in all, there were about eighteen books, with six in each pile. He placed them on the floor in front of Gonta.

"Go on, take your pick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ??? I think maybe I should edit the general story summary and also probably the tags soon but not now bc my burst of energy died out and I'm really tired now lol


	8. Oooooo spooky perspective switch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miu takes a turn I guess? It's just a one time thing dw

She bolted down the hallway laughing quietly to herself. Miu Iruma, beautiful girl genius, had dirt on the creepiest and most mysterious member of their class. This was going to be _fun_.

She could barely contain herself as she barreled into the dining hall to tell Kirumi about this, and also Tsumugi I guess, since she's here as well.

"Kirumi, holy shit, this is going to be so fucking hilarious. I sent Gonta to the anthropolo-whore's room and I think they're gonna fuck!"

"Miu, you know that would never happen," Kirumi replied, "they likely aren't close at all. Shinguuji is not one to lie."

"But Kirumi, you gotta admit, Kiyo had some shitty bedroom eyes when we brought that topic up, didn't he?? Man, he's TOTALLY gunning for a piece! Who could blame him, though? Jungle boy is probably loaded in that special area! _Gyahahaha!!_ "

"Erm, if I may interrupt... what is this about Korekiyo and Gonta?"

The question was innocently asked by Tsumugi, who looked confused as hell.

"What, can't you read between the fuckin lines, bitch? Kiyo obviously wants some bug dick!"

"...eh?"

"What she means is, she believes Shinguuji has a crush on Gonta, though the chances of that being true are extremely small." Kirumi clarified, "...and furthermore, it is simply unacceptable to gossip about other's love lives."

"Oh, but this is like one of those classic anime where the protagonist is reluctant to believe they are in love, isn't it? Though it occurring between two boys isn't the norm, I bet it would be a hit with a certain audience..." Tsumugi quietly rambled to herself about what an interesting anime this would make, and all the tropes that would appear throughout the series.

"Yeah, well I just wanna share this shit with everyone I meet! Kiyo is _never_ gonna live this down. That's what you get for acting so emotionless all the time, right?"

"I'm afraid I would have to oppose you on this, Miu. Love is meant to be private unless those personally involved choose to share it. It is not your decision to share this, and even more so when you don't know if it's actually true."

Ah great, now she was being scolded. She was totally gonna tell everyone anyways, but Miu definitely didn't want a lecture. What would be a good way to get the word out without having Kirumi get all pissed at her...?

"Then why don't we find out if it's true ourselves?" She finally asked.

"No, it isn't our business to go poking our heads into their personal matters."

"Force em together so it becomes the truth?"

"Out of the question."

"Push em emotionally until one of them admits it themself, then??"

"Miu, that's just cruel..."

She was being shot down over and over again. C'mon, it shouldn't be this hard to make somebody so embarrassed they wanna die! Normally she'd ignore Kirumi and tell everybody anyways, but with them being trapped together and all, she'd have to face her wrath later on no matter what. But such a fun secret to tell...

"What if," Tsumugi chimed in, "instead of forcing them together or making them admit it, we coax them into romantic situations and observe how they react?"

Miu and Kirumi stopped going back and forth for a moment to consider it.

"...shit, Tsumugi, that could work! Looks like you've got a bit going on up there, and I don't just mean your tits!"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Miu. So Kirumi, what do you think?"

"..."

"Kirumi?"

"...I still believe it is morally wrong to pry into things like this, but I can no longer deny that my interest has been piqued. So, I will not help you directly, but I will supply you with anything you need and await your results." Kirumi had a small grin, as though she were excited by the thought of uncovering this mystery.

"Hell yeah, not even Kirumi is above seeing who's fuckin who! Let's get this show on the road, then!" Miu laughed maniacally and hit Tsumugi on the back.

"Miu, that kinda hurt. Don't do it so hard... but, that's beside the point. Where and when should we start?"

Kirumi was the first to suggest a location. "Well, it should be an area they both enjoy, so perhaps the AV room or the library?"

"Fuck yeah, let's put a porno on in the AV room! We can put a shitton of candles and rose petals all around the room too, and get some funky mood lights... I could totally record them and sell it on the internet when we get out of here!"

Tsumugi and Kirumi grimaced at the thought. "Or," Tsumugi began, "we could put on a romcom... no, those are for married couples that like corny stuff. Maybe a horror movie? People like to cuddle when they're scared, but Gonta would probably go berserk. A cartoon or anime wouldn't fit the romantic atmosphere we want, but they might enjoy those more than the other options..."

Once again, Kirumi suggested the winning option. "How about a documentary? They both enjoy academics, so something informational would be ideal. The narrators for documentaries tend to have very soothing voices as well, which would be good for the atmosphere you two have in mind. Though, that would then beg the question of whether we want the documentary to be about bugs or historical events."

The three thought about it for a few moments before finally settling on a bug documentary, seeing as a historical documentary would likely bore Gonta, but some bugs could have ties to anthropology which Korekiyo would enjoy.

"So then, what do we do for decor?"

"Hmmm..." Miu thought to herself about what would fit. Mood lights? Flowers?  
Candles, handcuffs, or some ropes? A dildo or two, possibly, but that might be too on-the-nose.

Tsumugi broke the silence. "Well, anything overtly sexual would probably upset Monokuma..."

Dammit.

"But," she continued, "we should certainly put in things that create a classic, romantic atmosphere! We could put a plate of buttered bread on the table, for example, or have a dramatic death scene in which one of them proclaims their love before the other is cruelly taken away, and they must overcome this new hardship..."

"That would result in the start of the killing game, would it not?"

"Shit, even I think that's takin things way too fucking far!"

"Sorry, I got carried away there. Though, when I think of classic romance, I think of... tuxedos, flowers, piano, a fancy dinner... oh, and a dim, orange light!"

"That's a bit too fancy for two dipshits just watching a movie together, don'tcha think? Chill out a bit. For a movie date, usually they're wearing loose clothing, not tuxes. Like lingerie and sweaters and that shit, y'know? Also, Kaede wouldn't wanna bring her piano all the way to the AV room, so the piano is out of the question. But as for flowers, a good meal, and some sexy lighting, I'd say that's all possible. We can get the flowers from the courtyard and around the school, Kirumi could cook the top class food, and I can just invent a light source real quick! This'll be easy!"

"Well then, it appears this matter is settled." Kirumi said as she started walking towards the kitchen, "I will begin thinking of dishes I can prepare immediately. You wanted to do this tonight, correct? Could you give me a time, so I know when to start cooking?"

"Ehhh, about 7:45 to 8-ish? It can't be done too late at night. Also, to make sure they're hungry for their special dinner, refuse to feed em, alright?"

"Understood." With that, Kirumi vanished completely.

"Gyahaha, I should totally plant aphrodisiacs in their food! THAT would definitely make shit more interesting!"

"...I think that plainly wouldn't go over well with Monokuma. But anyways, you should head to your lab to make the light. I'll go look around for flowers, ok? Meet me in the AV room when you're done!" Tsumugi smiled and walked out of the dining hall, leaving only Miu, who followed suit shortly after.

She was determined to not only humiliate the seemingly emotionless history nerd, but get good porno material while doing it. Little did she know she would fail at both of these things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I no longer have any excuse to not update my tags nooooo
> 
> Also don't worry this story is not going to get Lewd™ at all in the future, Miu is not gonna turn it into an erotic fanfiction in any way


	9. :/

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writing this was a bad idea bc I don't know enough about folklore to write Korekiyo the right way??? Help I'm just googling "cool folktales" and hoping I find something interesting and also accurate

Korekiyo and Gonta had spent the past few hours looking through all the books. Korekiyo read while Gonta asked a continuous stream of questions, curious about every story told. Kiyo was very happy to have such an attentive pupil that enjoyed learning so much. Typically, people would run away or avoid him entirely when he got in the mood to share his knowledge about humans. Occasionally he'd even be insulted for (unintentionally) acting creepy while talking about it, or for droning on and on without a break.

Kiyo glanced over at the clock. It was 1:40 pm, much too late for lunch. Oh well, he was used to not eating for extended periods of time. Missing one meal wasn't a terribly big deal, and he wasn't exactly hungry, anyways. Gonta, on the other hand... even a deaf person could hear his stomach growling from a mile away.

"Gonta, it's a little late in the day, but perhaps you should go get a meal. I'm certain Kirumi would happily make you something, seeing as you skipped lunch."

"But," Gonta protested, "Gonta hasn't heard all of Kiyo's stories yet!" He motioned towards the half finished pile of books. And books already read were on the left side of Gonta, whereas the unread ones were to his right. The piles looked about even.

"How about just one more story, then? Pick any one you'd like to hear."

"Hm... then, Gonta picks... This one!"

He reached for a worn red book with a dirty cover, which said "Tongue-Cut Sparrow," and flipped through the pages gently as he brought it closer to himself. "Kiyo, what's this book about?"

"It's a story about an old married couple and a sparrow. The old man rescues the bird and feeds it, but his miserly wife detests it for taking up space and eating their food. One day, while the man is out of the house, the wife refuses to feed the bird. The bird, however, decided to take action and feed itself, which led to the wife cutting it's tongue."

Gonta winced at the image that Korekiyo had put into his head.

"...the bird flew away, and the man went after it once he got home and realized it was gone. When he found the bird, he also found that they had joined a group of other birds, who all offered something to the man for taking care of them. His options were a large basket and a small basket. Being an old man, he chose the smaller basket, which was easier to carry home. When he opened it, he found treasure, which his wife wanted more of. Her desire for more treasure was so strong that she went to the birds herself, demanding the bigger basket. They allowed her to have it, but at the expense of her not being allowed to open it until she got home. Can you guess what happened next, or what was in the basket?"

Gonta thought for a moment. "Well, lady doesn't seem to like listening or being nice to others, so Gonta thinks she open it before home. Gonta not sure what in the basket, though..."

"Kuku... yes, she did open the basket before arriving back to her home. Inside the basket were monsters, which chased her until she fell off the mountain path she was climbing. The morals of this story are that it is good to be kind to others, and that greed can lead to your own shortcomings. Morals such as these are very common in folktales all around the globe, to the point where they could be considered universal." Korekiyo finished up his tangent with a small, satisfied smile, though it remained hidden under his mask.

"Hmm, Gonta get it! The lady should have been patient, too, which is also good lesson to learn! Gonta think that stories like these have good lessons for becoming gentleman, so... could Gonta borrow some books from Kiyo?"

"Certainly. In fact, you are free to stop by my lab at any time you'd like. There is an even wider variety of books there, which I am confident you will enjoy greatly." And with that, Gonta smiled, stood up, and said farewell. Korekiyo would have escorted him to the dining hall, but he wanted to write down his notes first. He could meet up with Gonta again tomorrow.

-

Some time after that, Korekiyo started to feel hungry. His clock read 5:17, which meant dinner should be soon. He should start heading to the dining hall.

So, he walked down and sat in a chair, waiting. From the kitchen he heard a hushed excitement. Curious as to what whoever was in there could be planning, he snuck up to the wall and his just behind the corner.

"...wait, where'd he...?"

"Shh, I bet they're... y'know, _close_. Be quiet, ok?"

"You're both acting immature."

"Yeah yeah, shut it. I wanna know if your food is ready for the thing, ok? Lemme have a bite-"

"No. Knowing you, you'll eat half of it in your one bite. And I've tasted it already myself. It's fine."

"Um, Miu? I've been meaning to ask, but... how'd the decorating go? You didn't do anything sexual, did you?"

"Don't worry, slut. I didn't put anything you wouldn't approve of, even if it would totally ramp up the sexy mood. You're holdin me back, don'tcha know?"

"...I feel as though it's actually the opposite, but ok. So long as you didn't put anything bad there, I think this will go just fine."

"You think it'll actually work? If it doesn't, then all this shit I've done will be a waste. I don't like wasting my fuckin time, ya whore. I NEED this dirt on him!"

"You should be doing this to know and nothing more. Miu, I must ask that you hand over your camera. This is a private matter."

Korekiyo could hear an angry muttering. Confused, he slipped back to his chair, as the talking had ceased and more people were coming in. If he had matched the voices to the right faces, then the people talking were... Miu, Kirumi, and Tsumugi. An unlikely trio, but a trio nonetheless. What could they be planning, though? It sounded almost as though it were directed at him. Something about finding information, he guessed? What would they want to know about him? He either kept everything expertly hidden or provided a thorough explanation himself. How odd. Well, whatever the event was, it was supposedly taking place tonight. Even if he wanted to prepare, he'd have no time, so he submitted to the idea of a mystery event. Who knows? It could be fun. With those three being the cause of it, it was bound to be interesting.

When everyone had arrived, Kirumi began serving their plates. Everybody got their usual serving of dinner except for Kiyo and Gonta, who wasn't there for whatever reason.

"Er... Kirumi, I haven't been served any food."

"I apologize, Shinguuji, but I miscalculated how much my recipe would make. I rarely see you eat, so I felt you would not mind if you were one of the people to not be fed." She walked back to the kitchen coolly, not glancing back.

Well that was an absolute lie. Kirumi would never do something so easily avoided. She had her title of "Ultimate Maid" for a reason. And if by some insane chance she had, she would just make him a small separate dish. Korekiyo didn't care all that much, but he was still wary of what Kirumi and the others were planning. His missing dinner was the confirmation he needed to make sure that yes, this would involve him. Going by that logic, Gonta would be involved as well. Hopefully this didn't mean what he thought it did.

-

After a few more moments of mourning his meal which never existed, Korekiyo travelled back do his dorm, where he laid on his bed for a while. His mind was racing with what they could possibly want with him.

At around 7:00, he heard it.

_Knock knock knock._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna write the next chapter rn because it's gonna be f u n to write but I'm also tired and I'm mad about that because it's only like 11


	10. Hmhmhm my sleep schedule is really fucked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fun part I've been waiting for here we goooo

Korekiyo could hear footsteps grow farther away as he opened the door. Well, clearly whoever was here wasn't planning on a face-to-face confrontation. And if that was the case, then...

He stepped out of his room and faced the other side of his door to find a note. Is this just how everybody was going to invite him places from now on? He'd gotten a lot of notes on his door the past few days, where was everyone even getting them? He quickly pushed those unimportant thoughts aside and read the note.

"Dear Kiyo, please meet Gonta in the AV room at 7:15. Gonta has something to share!"

The handwriting was far too neat to be Gonta's, and the 'dear' at the beginning was too formal. Not to mention there was a given time and place to meet... This was very obviously not written by Gonta. However, this seemed to be a setup made by three people, so it was highly unlikely to be an ambush with murderous intent. There didn't seem to be any harm in going.

Kiyo returned to his room to pass the remaining fifteen minutes by reading his books. He had read them all before countless times, but it didn't hurt to re-read and re-analyze them occasionally. After the time was up, he made his way to the AV room where Gonta was waiting. At least, that's what he had been told, but he doubted it.

To his surprise, Gonta actually was there. He was sitting on the couch, and seemed happy to see Korekiyo. Perhaps he actually _had_ written the note himself, and had simply taken more time and care when writing it?

Kiyo looked around the room. It was... different than usual. One of the couches was missing, and there was now a fancy table between it and the tv. On the table rested a covered platter. The entire room was bathed in a dim orange light, akin to that of a chandelier at a high-end restaurant. Scented candles were placed about the room, giving off a vanilla aroma. After fully examining the room, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. Immediately after doing so, he heard a click.

Somebody had locked them in.

He tried the other door, but it was stuck tight as well.

"Er... Kiyo?"

"Hm? Oh, my apologies, Gonta. Hello, you said you wanted to meet with me in here?" Korekiyo's eyes darted around the room to see if anything suspicious was around, but he couldn't find anything other than the obvious changed layout. What could those three possibly gain from locking them in a room together? He had already told them that they had no real connection. Perhaps they wanted them to murder each other and start the game?? That was impossible, though. Again, they had nothing to gain from that.

"Actually, Gonta was about to ask Kiyo the same thing! Look, Gonta brought note and everything." He showed Korekiyo a note, which said...

"Dearest Gonta, there is something I would like to speak with you about. Please meet me in the AV room at 7:15 sharp." The note itself wasn't all that surprising, but the way it was written didn't really capture the way Korekiyo wrote. His would have been much lengthier, and the handwriting would have been messier. But that's not the focus right now.

"How very peculiar. I did not write that note, and I do not believe you wrote the one that I received, either. I believe this was a setup, meant for us to be together in an enclosed space, for whatever reason."

"Huh? But why? Gonta not bothered by small room, so Gonta really not care that much. There's not a point to this, right?" His face scrunched up in confusion.

Before he could get another word out, music started to play. It sounded as though it were coming through a tin can, but the piece itself was beautiful. It was piano, expertly played in a way that seemed soothing and romantic, even with the terrible sound quality. At the same time, the cover was lifted off the platter by what appeared to be a string. It disappeared into a missing tile spot in the ceiling, which was covered again immediately after it was retrieved. The platter held two delicious looking fish, which looked perfectly cooked. The smell overpowered that of the candles and made both Korekiyo and Gonta remember the meals they skipped that day.

"Is... it safe?" Korekiyo asked. It could be poisoned, or spiked. Though poison was unlikely, he wouldn't put drugs past Miu, who seemed to be playing a part in this. While he was thinking, Gonta rushed over and took a big mouthful of one of them. Well, guess they'd find out soon enough.

He felt something hit the back of his head. It was small, like a pebble, but hurt nonetheless. What was that for?? When he turned to find the source, there was nothing. He felt another hit the back of his head again. Clearly they wanted him to do something. What was it, eat the food?

Korekiyo spoke softly, saying "I know you're watching. If you want me to eat that suspicious food, then it's too bad for you. I-" before he was cut off by a larger stone being dropped on the top of his head. Not big or hard enough to severely injure him, but definitely enough to leave a bump. It was like something out of a cartoon. He winced.

"Fine, fine, I'll eat it. Just stop throwing rocks at my head." He begrudgingly walked over to and sat down on the couch, as far away from Gonta as possible. For someone who claimed to be a gentleman, he was being very generous with the sizes of his bites. He grabbed the fork and began to eat, though he'd have preferred to do it with his eating mask. Every bite was extraordinary, a clear mark of the Ultimate Maid having made it. The two were silent as they ate.

When they finished, they pushed the plate aside and sat in an awkward silence. After a moment, the piano stopped, and the tv flickered on. A movie was already set up. No, not a movie, but a documentary. A _bug_ documentary.

Gonta seemed confused at first, but then became extremely excited. Korekiyo, on the other hand, was not.

A documentary? They were making them watch a documentary? Why??? What would they possibly gain out of this? And why a BUG documentary? Sure, it'd make Gonta happy, but so would a lot of other genres. I mean, Kiyo hated bugs, but he was ok with them on a screen so long as it didn't get too overwhelming. That didn't mean he enjoyed this selection, though. Seriously, what did those three girls expect to gain from all of this absurdity?

The lights dimmed further until they were off completely and the documentary began to play on its own. It's starting place was a remote village somewhere in northern Russia. Gonta watched with a great passion and genuine interest, whereas Korekiyo watched simply because he was forced to. At least this way he could learn about some links between bugs and folklore without having to see the bugs in person.

The documentary started off simple enough. It talked about beetles and dragonflies, just typical bugs you could see every day. Something about cicadas, then water bugs... and then it moved to arachnids.

Though arachnids were technically not bugs, they had made their way into this documentary. Kiyo had been tense before, but now? He was practically a wooden board. As much as he wanted to look away, he couldn't, and his eyes were fixed on the tv. _So this is how it ends,_ he thought overdramatically.

He suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking over, he found it was Gonta's arm. Gonta stared at him.

"Kiyo seems stiff. Are you ok? Gonta knows that bugs aren't Kiyo's favourite thing..." His eyes seemed so soft and reassuring, that Korekiyo's anxiety seemed to melt away instantly.

"...yeah, I'm fine-"

The tv suddenly jumped to a close-up of a tarantula face.

Korekiyo screamed. Gonta jumped back in surprise. Somewhere outside the room was the sound of a girl laughing hysterically, only to be quickly hushed.

"Kiyo doesn't seem fine to Gonta." Gonta grabbed his shoulder again, this time with more force, and pulled him into a hug. "Kiyo is even stiffer now... should Gonta turn off the movie?" His voice was the most concerned Korekiyo had ever heard it be.

"N-no, it's... it's fine, don't worry about it." Korekiyo tried to pull away but made no progress. He was being crushed again. Thankfully, Gonta loosened his grip a bit.

"Gonta doesn't believe Kiyo entirely, but... ok. Gonta is right here if you feel scared again." He smiled kindly at Kiyo and at that moment he seemed brighter than the sun. Honestly, so much as looking at him hurt his eyes, that's how much light he radiated (metaphorically, of course). Kiyo wedged his way out of Gonta's arms and looked away in embarrassment. He didn't say anything after "yes, thank you". He refused to admit he was scared by some spider.

About an hour into the documentary, his eyes started to feel heavy. The documentary didn't seem anywhere close to being over, but he was just so exhausted. He had spent a lot of time with Gonta and other eccentric people today, but was used to only one long encounter per day. He was completely out of energy. So, he drifted into a sleep.

A lot of time had passed when he was woken up by Gonta, but it felt like only seconds had gone by.

"Kiyo... Kiyo? Kiyo, wake up! The documentary is over, you fell asleep."

"......hm?"

He opened his eyes to see the credits rolling on the screen, the lights gradually being turned back on, and Gonta's face looming over him. He had fallen asleep in Gonta's lap. Being shocked back into his senses completely, he jolted up, accidentally hitting Gonta's forehead.

"Ack... Gonta, I'm sorry, I... just fell asleep, I didn't realize I was on top of you, I didn't mean to headbutt you, I-I, I-"

"Ow, erm, don't worry, Kiyo. Gonta is fine. Gonta used to hitting his head!" He smiled despite the red mark on his forehead. "And Gonta didn't mind Kiyo sleeping there. Kiyo seemed tired, and Gonta didn't want to wake you. But, is Kiyo ok?"

Gonta reached for Korekiyo's head. Kiyo flinched away at first, but then let him checking for any bumps.

"Well, Kiyo seems ok, so Gonta thinks it's all good!" He brought his hand back to his side. "But," Gonta continued, "the documentary was real long, so it must be late. Gonta thinks we should go back to dorms for the night."

"Yes, that seems like a good idea..." There were supposedly no marks, but Korekiyo now had a headache. That tends to happen when you're pelted with rocks and then bash your head against somebody else. It would be ideal to go back to his room and sleep it off.

"Well then, Gonta will say goodnight. Goodnight, Kiyo!" He turned the knob on the previously unlocked door and stepped out. Korekiyo lingered for a moment before heading out himself. Halfway down the hallway, however, he was stopped by Miu.

"'I don't have a thing for Gonta,' you said, ' You have no evidence for your claims,' you said! Gyahaha, what about _this,_ then??" She taunted as she held out a photo of Korekiyo sleeping on Gonta's lap. "Oh fuckin shit, this would be SO embarrassing if it got out to other people in the school, wouldn't it?"

"...what do you want."

"As damn, that was quick, though I never really expected you to last long in the first place. What, you ain't the type to put up a fight? Boooooring! But, anyways, I'm not entirely sure what I want just yet. Just do whatever I tell ya for now, ok?"

Blackmail without any particular motive? This was... cruel, to say the least.

"Share it with whoever you'd like," Korekiyo responded, "I can explain to them that you simply took the photo out of context. You are not exactly a trustworthy source of information, not to mention that I've never really cared for how people view me."

"Hmmm? I think photographic evidence, coupled with the fact that you're not super well liked yourself, will convince most people. And I'm not saying that people will view you in a negative way... I'm just saying that somebody with an image like the one you've built up for yourself falling in love is ALWAYS a big deal. Don'tcha read the tabloids, nerd? People go _crazy_ over this shit. They'll eat it up and then treat you as a lovesick joke, which would be pretty shitty for your stalking stuff, right? C'mon Cockiyo, just admit that this'll affect you badly, and do what I want!"

"Its not stalking, it's research, and i-"

"Blablabla, whatever. Do you agree to my terms or not?"

Being what is essentially Miu's slave until she gets bored but having this kept a secret, or having this false info released but not doing Miu's bidding... a near impossible decision. In the end, however...

"I accept your terms. However, you are not to interfere with my personal studies under any circumstances."

"Deal. But, in order to prevent you from using that as an excuse 24/7, I get to decide when your 'private time's is."

"Fine. So, may I see that photo?" Korekiyo reached out his hand, knowing fully well that Miu would deny it.

"I know you know what I say to that. So, to save you the trouble, I'm just gonna go now. Cya, creepo!" She skipped away happily, after giving a condescending look to Korekiyo. God, she was just unbearable.

Korekiyo walked into his room and immediately laid in his bed, too tired to change clothes. He'd speak to the other two event organizers tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to sleep.

That was but wishful thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit it's 2 am this is what in get for sleeping somewhat normal hours last night also I didn't proofread this bc I'm probably even more tired than kork so sorry for any typos


	11. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the fuck is an actual summary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHIT I HAD TO EDIT THIS BECAUSE THE FORMAT FUCKED UP AND HALF THE STUFF THAT WAS ITALIC WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE RIP THIS IS WHY YOU GOTTA PROOFREAD

_"Was that... a date?"_

Her voice was jarring and sudden. Korekiyo had only just laid down and closed his eyes when She started to speak.

"No, it was just something I was forced into. I didn't know, I-"

_"But you still went? Even if you didn't know what they were planning, you should have known it could've been dangerous. Now you're blackmailed over something petty and ridiculous."_

"Yes, that was my fault... I apologize." Korekiyo, now sitting up, blankly stared down at the blankets covering him. They were warm, but he felt cold. Cold and hopeless. He had made this mistake himself and now he had to pay for it.

"...should I...?"

_"No, that is not necessary. The consequences of this will be punishment enough. For your sake, I hope they will not be too severe."_ He could feel a chill run up his spine, and his body was wrapped in a cold draft. Her embrace was usually much kinder, much warmer... but it felt wrong this time. _"However, I have to inquire as to how you truly feel about... him."_

"I feel neutral towards him."

Korekiyo knew that was the truth. Nobody else could possibly make him as happy as She did, or take care of him like She did. She kept him calm, collected, logical. She gave him everything She had, She helped him learn who he was meant to be, what he was passionate about. Of course nobody could ever replace Her.

_"You're lying."_

"Eh?"

_"With how much time you spend with him, and the things I hear in your mind... he's getting closer to you. You're going to replace me, aren't you??"_

"Never, I would never. Don't be upset, please, you're the only one..."

The only one, his one and only, nobody else...

"..."

_"...then... stop seeing him entirely."_

Korekiyo froze for a moment. Gonta was such an interesting subject, to just give him up was like rejecting a gift you've wanted for your whole life. And Kiyo would never form anything strong with him. Why couldn't anyone see this?

_"You're hesitating"_ She said it with urgency and anger.

"I'm sorry. Of course I will begin avoiding him immediately." 

_"Good. Sweet Korekiyo, you made a good choice. Well, now that that matter is settled, you should get some rest. Goodnight."_ Her presence disappeared and the room began to warm up again. Kiyo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and laid back down, trying to get some sleep. 

\- 

The next morning was nothing special. Wake up early, shower, get dressed, dry and brush hair, brush teeth, read books, etc. He waited until the morning announcement and started down towards the dining hall soon after it was shown. 

"When he entered the room, everyone was in their usual groups. Kiyo sat by himself, which was HIS usual group. Breakfast was pancakes, which he was served by Kirumi, who have him an odd look.

__

Breakfast for him was quiet. He finished without any event, and was about to head back before he was stopped by Tsumugi. 

__

"Uh, Korekiyo? Kirumi, Miu and I wanted to talk to you about... last night." Miu was giggling in the background, to which Kirumi sighed in response. Korekiyo stopped halfway through the doorway. 

__

"Alright, but please do make it somewhat quick. I'm sure there's not much you can tell me that I didn't experience for myself." He glared back at them, something all three chose to ignore. 

__

"Well," Tsumugi started off, "I'm sure that by now you know we caused that. We stuck you two together to see how you would react, and, well..." 

__

"You totally lied to us, you dick-loving bastard! Gyahaha!!" 

__

"Ah... I wouldn't put it like that, but we seem to agree that what you told us was a lie. Now, I understand that it can be difficult to come to terms with this kind of stuff, but you shouldn't hide it, either! If you love him..." 

__

Christ, couldn't they just let this go already??? Tsumugi was talking about how it was ok for him to "love" Gonta (which he certainly did not), and how he shouldn't "be in denial about it" (which again, he was CERTAINLY NOT). Miu was rambling on about how her inventions could be useful for them in the future, and Kirumi was busy sweeping the floor, but obviously listening in regardless. 

__

"What's your point for all this, exactly?" Korekiyo interrupted. 

__

"Our point is-" 

__

"We wanna help you two hook up and fuck, you dipshit!" 

__

"..." 

__

No. No, absolutely not. No. 

__

"I am _not interested in Gonta._ " 

__

"Tell that to you from last night, jackass! You seemed pretty into it when you fell asleep with your face just inches away from his huge c-" 

__

"Miu, that's not appropriate... but, we want to help for a couple reasons. They're small and over all unimportant, but they're reasons all the same." 

__

"And those 'reasons' are?" 

__

"Ummm... plain boredom, for one thing. This will give us something good to do, since this school has been so boring lately. You think it's boring, right?" Tsumugi continues to insist it was boring for a while. "So, since love is such fun to work with, we thought it would be very entertaining and are trying it out with you!" 

__

"So then, I am nothing but your plaything in this situation?" 

__

Miu pulled the photo out from her bra. "Yep! So long as I've got this pic, you're ours. Now, get on your hands and knees and beg the almighty Miu for forgiveness!" 

__

Kiyo politely declined. 

__

"He doesn't have to do EVERYTHING, you know. Even slaves have the right to decline outlandish requests," the quiet Kirumi said from the other side of the room, "and begging is one of those tasks." 

__

"Ah, you're no fun, Kirumi..." 

__

While they bickered, a question crossed Kiyo's mind. 

__

"You talk as though you have more... "dates" planned for us in the future." 

__

"Hm? Oh. Yes. Your next date with Gonta is tomorrow night." Tsumugi said with a smile. 

__

Oh, this was not going to be fun. 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhh I just wanna let you guys know that I never ever expected this dumb story to get this much attention??? Thank you for every comment I'm sorry I don't respond to them all I just don't know how to without sounding repetitive I love and appreciate every single one tho aaaaa


	12. Creampuffs taste really good I love sweets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update at a time other than midnight?? What???

Korekiyo was ready to just leave. There was no reason for him to be there. Miu didn't seem to have any tasks for him, either, and he didn't want to stick around until she came up with one. He started towards the door, and-

"Hey, where the fuck d'ya think YOU'RE going?"

So close.

"I was about to leave. As far as I am concerned, there is no incentive for me to stay. I would prefer to be in my lab."

Iruma grinned. "Well too bad for you, cuz me and Tsumugi have a job for ya already!" Tsumugi nodded in agreement while Kirumi looked away in embarrassment, seemingly not wanting to be a part of this any longer.

"And that job would be?"

"We want you to help us set up some other poor lovesick bastards!"

Since when was Miu a matchmaker? "You never struck me as this type, Miu. What is your motive behind this, if I may ask?"

"Well, me and Tsumugi were talking. It's been too boring around here, ya know? For a killing game, there's a real lack of excitement. So, since throwing you and Gonta together was easy and interesting, we thought we'd make it a thing! Not only do we get free entertainment, but this building will get a bit hornier overall, and I might actually be able to have people willingly use my inventions! Gyahaha, I'm a genius!!"

Yep, that seemed like the type of motive Miu would have for this. But this wasn't moral. Love is meant to be private and cultivated in oneself, not forced by some outsider who thought she knew better than those involved...

But then again, it would be an interesting research project. How would people act when placed in a scenario such as this? It seemed like a rare opportunity for Korekiyo to observe something like this. Sure, there were dating shows, but people willingly entered those. This is a bit more of a surprise, and they won't know they're being watched, so the reactions won't be artificial. No, what was he thinking? This was _completely_ against Korekiyo's morals. It may not affect him personally, but he couldn't just stand by and let it happen to others.

"Hey, Kore-kinky-o, how long are you just gonna stand there?" Miu leaned forward, getting close to his face, and said "you don't have a choice, remember?" She pulled the photo out and laughed a bit, knowing he wouldn't refuse with that being waved in front of him.

"...fine. Yes, I will assist you. Who's love life do you plan to unwelcomely contort first?"

"Hmmm..." Miu thought quietly for a moment, rubbing her temples. "Well, Tsumugi apparently made a chart of who's into who, but we're having trouble deciding." On cue, Tsumugi held up a paper with names and lines all over it.

"Uh, let's see," she began, "Kaede _might_ like Rantaro a bit, but she DEFINITELY likes Shuichi. I'm pretty sure he likes her back. Going off Shuichi... Angie, Kiibo, and possibly Ouma have a thing for him, though Ouma is a lot harder to read. Kaito definitely is interested in Maki, but she might actually kill him if we try to get them together. Iruma is into Kiibo-"

_"Don't just say it, asshole!"_

"Sorry. Er, anyways, Tenko seems to have a crush on Himiko, but that may be tough to make mutual, since Himiko doesn't look like she cares for Tenko much. Hoshi doesn't exactly have a love interest yet, but he seems lonely, so I put him in here anyways. We can throw him with whoever would fit well later on. And, uh, that's about it." Tsumugi places the paper back down and looked at Miu, who in turn stared at Korekiyo. "What are your thoughts?"

"Well, I'm against the idea as a whole, but setting up Kaede and Shuichi seems to be the best course of action since their affection is already mutual, yes?"

"Well when ya put it that way..." Miu looked down before sharply jerking her head back up. "But, that'd be easy and boring! They're halfway to fucking already, there's no point to that!"

Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Korekiyo rethought it. "Then may I suggest Kaito and Maki, or perhaps Tenko and Himiko?" They seemed challenging, yet possible. Miu should be happier with these suggestions.

"Yeah, either of those seem alright. Which one do you think we should try out first, 'Mugi?"

"Hmm... Kaito and Maki seems like the more challenging one, so it's really dependent on how hard you feel like working tonight."

"Kaito and Maki it is, then! This is gonna be fuckin hilarious!"

Korekiyo nodded. "I'm sure you will enjoy yourself. However, it seems that my job of giving input is done, so I will be going now."

"Hold up, loverboy..." Miu grabbed his hair and pulled back to stop him. It wasn't exactly the least painful way to do so, but knowing Miu, he could have gotten a lot worse. "You gotta help us come up with a place, and help decorate said place!"

"And why is that, if I might inquire?"

"'Cuz I fuckin said so, that's why! But, as payment for your work, I'll let you watch with us!"

He had to earn permission for something that should be a given...?

"It would appear that, yet again, I have no choice in the matter. Very well, I will help you with your... ideas." He turned on his monopad and looked at the map, trying to find a space. "A place they would both enjoy is, based on my research of them, the courtyard or dining hall. They don't appear to have too much in common in terms of interests, so a neutral space like either of those would work well."

"...yeah, yeah, I can see it! We could totally deck out the dining hall with the good shit that'll totally turn em on! Then they'll-"

"No."

"...I don't see why not..."

"Because that would be disgusting and inappropriate. Besides, a mature atmosphere would be the most effective. Anything too over the top will turn them away. It must have a nice balance of childish and adult atmospheres alike."

"Sure, whatever. They'll have plenty of opportunities afterwards, anyways! So then, we should start getting stuff ready!"

"Uh, actually..." Tsumugi interrupted quietly from her seat, "people still have to eat their other meals, and the dining hall is busy at other times, too. Prepping too early will give it away, don't you think?"

"Ah, shit, you're right. Well, we can't put the decorations out just yet, but we can still get said decorations ready! I should make some fun new toys, just for this occasion! Gyahaha!!"

"Miu, you should fix the music player, too. It sounded weird last night."

"Yeah, I'll do that too. And while we're here... hey, Kirumi!!" She yelled, "Start coming up with some good food for the next lucky bastards!"

Kirumi walked out of the kitchen and into the dining hall, facing the three matchmakers. "Yes, about that... I have decided I will not help you anymore. I can not cook special meals every night for only two people, and it is against my personal morals to force a relationship. I cannot help you with a clean conscience."

"Whaaaat? But wasn't last night fun for you?!"

"The process and results were both... underwhelming, to say the least."

What had Kirumi been expecting??

"Aw, man. We lost our cook..." pouted Miu, glaring at Kirumi. "Does that mean we gotta cook all this shit for ourselves?"

"But I can't cook at all!" Tsumugi protested, likely nervous about accidentally giving somebody food poisoning. "And you can't be trusted with cooking, Miu, you'll probably spike the food!"

"What's with that accusation, you bitch? What did I do to deserve that?!" The two began to argue, while Kirumi ignored them and cleaned in the kitchen.

"I'll cook."

Everyone stopped and looked at Korekiyo, who had interrupted the whole thing. He hadn't cooked much before, and when he had, it was to learn a recipe from a country he was visiting. He had always had somebody with him to guide him through the process of cooking, but doing it by himself couldn't possibly be that hard. And besides, if he hadn't volunteered, somebody might have died from an undercooked meal, or worse.

"You sure about that? Do you even know how to cook?"

"I know a few recipes well enough to cook them on my own."

"Oh, alright then! Problem solved! Well, we've still got a while to wait, so you're free to go now, I guess. Meet us back here immediately after dinner, 'kay?"

"Thanks for the help, Kiyo!"

Korekiyo nodded and left the room. He had a few hours of freetime until he would be forced into helping again, so he decided he should make the most of it. It didn't seem like his schedule would be much different than this for a while, but he didn't entirely mind. He may not be very happy with the idea of what they were doing, but he could deny that it would at least be very, very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmm I'm gonna update again later bc I'm having f u n


	13. What if hands were sentient how fucked would that be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in a day damn I'm on a roll
> 
> [Edit]I realised I already had Kiyo tell Gonta about his sister so I'm editing it to be more of a "nah just the sister I told you about before" rather than a "I never told you about her before lol" even though it's been a while since I posted this chapter

Korekiyo headed to his lab as usual. It, along with every other room in the school, had been opened up much earlier than Monokuma had originally intended. His reasoning for doing so was because it would give access to more murderous possibilities, but it hadn't worked in his favour. After all, the entire reason they were opened was because they had gone an entire week without killing. They weren't going to start because of some fancy new tools and more space.

When he arrived at his lab, he began looking through old cookbooks from around the world. All sorts of dishes, from Japan, to England... from Russia to Ethiopia, from Thailand to Germany. He had many options to choose from, but Kiyo decided to stick with a recipe he had prepared at least once. Better safe than sorry.

Eventually, he decided on a meal from Russia, called stroganoff. It was simple to make, only requiring meat, noodles, and a creamy sauce which he had already forgotten the proper term for. Oh well, he could just bring the recipe book with him to read from directly. As long as it didn't poison anybody, it was fine if he messed up a little.

Now that Kiyo had decided on his project for later that night, he had free time to do whatever he wanted. He put the cookbook down on a table and began to climb higher up the staircase that spiraled around the back of the room. He had read everything he found in the lab so far, but if he looked hard enough, he might find something new, or something he could analyze more than he initially had thought was necessary. In the middle of his search, though...

"Kiyo! Hey, Kiyo!! Hello?!"

Gonta had decided to pay him a visit. Kiyo had promised he'd avoid him, so he couldn't let him know he was there. Just be quiet, don't move too much, don't call attention to yourself, don't-

"Oh, there you are! Kiyo, Gonta wanted to come spend more time with you! Does Kiyo have some spare time?" He gave Kiyo his usual smile, the one that made his entire face adorable-

No, getting off topic. Gonta wasn't to be spoken with again. It would be hard to say no, but Korekiyo had to do it for Her sake.

"Gonta really wanted to hear some more stories, too!"

That was the tipping point. Absolutely nothing could stop Korekiyo from sharing his generally useless knowledge about foreign countries when he was prompted to do so. He nodded towards Gonta and started speedwalking down the stairs (it was fast AND composed).

"So," Korekiyo said as he got to the bottom, "you want to hear more about anthropology?"

"Yes! Gonta really likes learning new things from Kiyo!"

"Well then, you may inquire about anything you desire."

"Hmm..."

"..."

"What about... Kiyo, do you know anything cool about wolves?" Gonta seemed to light up when he asked the question. Seeing as he had been raised by wolves, this was no surprise.

"The wolf is a common symbol in cultures all throughout the world. In some cultures, wolves are worshipped as gods or messengers, whereas in others they are feared and thought to be omens of bad luck." Korekiyo rambled on for a while about wolves, and Gonta seemed to love every moment of it.

"Wow, wolves have such cool history to them...!!" Gonta's eyes were doing the sparkly thing again. He seemed ecstatic about learning this new information.

"Yes, wolves certainly are quite the interesting creatures and symbols. If I recall correctly, you were raised by wolves, yes?"

"Yeah, Gonta was raised by pack of wolves, and learned to speak to animals and bugs! Gonta's human parents didn't like that much, though, and tried to get rid of it. Gonta's human family says it's weird and scary. But, Gonta can become gentleman and prove to them that both families can get along!"

It seemed like a noble goal. Gonta certainly had the determination for it. Korekiyo added, "you have my full support."

"Thanks, Kiyo! Um, does Kiyo have any other close family like Gonta's wolves?"

"Just my Sister, who I believe I've spoken about previously. She was sickly and was in the hospital very often, but I always visited her and tried to keep her happy. We were... very close. She even made me this outfit, and helped me discover my interest in anthropology by pushing me to research more about people." Korekiyo smiled at the fond memories. Gonta, however, was silent.

"...is something wrong, Gonta?"

"No. Gonta thinks it's great that Kiyo had such a close person! But, Gonta was just comparing it to his family. Your sister gave you an outfit and a hobby, but Gonta's family let him do that on his own. Maybe if Gonta had more people deciding for him, he'd be as much of a gentleman as Kiyo!"

...deciding for him? Not letting him do things on his own? They seemed like fair and expected comparisons, but something about them struck Korekiyo as off. Like they were true in a bad way. But surely, he had nobody to relate this to, so he forgot it quickly.

"Perhaps. But, there is also immense beauty in being as wild and untamed as you are, Gonta. Do not forget that."

Gonta nodded and frowned. "Um, Kiyo... Gonta have something to tell you."

"Hm?"

"Urk... Gonta's wolf family was... only part true."

Only part true? What could that possibly mean?

"Gonta met wolves, that truth, but wild parents were actually _lizard people_."

Oh.

That's what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd make the chapter longer but I am a Tired  
> Also today I discovered the beautiful pun that is "Gonta's GokuHAREM" and it makes me wanna die and I love it


	14. I can't stop coughing I might die???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa I was tired and sick last night and almost fell asleep when trying to write so I'm sorry I skipped last night's update lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My cat is weirdly pissed at me today and keeps scratching me I am covered in scratches and blood and sadness bc I love my cat but they want me dead :(

...lizard people...? That had certainly come out of nowhere. Perhaps Gonta had meant...

"Gonta... by lizard people, do you mean some sort of tribal group, or perhaps large, normal lizards?"

He shook his head. "No, Gonta telling truth! Gonta was raised by lizard people, who came from dinosaurs." He seemed extremely serious about this.

"Right. What were these 'lizard people' like?" It was suspicious and unlikely, but Korekiyo couldn't help but be curious. 'Lizard people' would be an interesting group to study, if they actually did exist.

The wild boy seemed excited by the question. "They called themselves 'Reptites' and were very, very kind! Reptites teach Gonta to speak with animals and bugs! But, they fought people a long time ago and lost, so people are around much more."

"If all this is true, then what compelled you to lie about the wolves raising you?"

"Well..." Gonta averted his eyes, and said "Because there is so much more people, Reptites say people won't know about them, and will be scared. Gonta didn't want Reptites to be hurt by people, so Gonta tell everyone he was raised by wolves instead. Gonta is sorry for lying to you."

Gonta seemed to be legitimately sorry about this, though Korekiyo thought it wasn't that big of a deal. Sure, the concept of lizard people hiding in the woods was fascinating, and most scientists would want to know, but Gonta had good reasons to lie about it. There was no telling what the reaction of the general population could be.

"Kiyo doesn't believe Gonta, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Nobody believes Gonta when he tell them. You probably don't either."

"It's hard to believe, but you aren't the type of person to lie about something like this. So, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." It was indeed very difficult to simply accept the existence of "Reptites", but as he had said, Gonta wouldn't lie about this. At least, that's what Korekiyo had deduced from his observations of Gonta so far. After hearing his assurance, Gonta smiled again.

"Ah, Gonta is so glad that Kiyo believes him! Really, Reptites do exist! They're very well hidden, but still there, Gonta swears! Does Kiyo want to meet them some day? Because Gonta can even show you!!"

"Yes, I would greatly appreciate the chance to meet them. One can only imagine what a society of 'lizard people' is like, and it would be an incredible anthropological discovery."

"Oh, you... want to research them? And tell people?" He seemed upset by the thought.

"Is that not ok? It would be only for personal reasons, I wouldn't share my findings with anyone."

"But still, what if someone finds them?"

He had a point. "Well, then I won't record anything of it. I will only meet and remember them." Little did Gonta know that Korekiyo would definitely write down everything he remembered the moment Gonta wasn't with him. Kiyo would just hide those notes with extra care, so nobody could accidentally stumble upon them.

"Thank you, Kiyo!" Gonta went to hug him, but Kiyo stopped him, knowing fully well that he might not make it out alive. He had enough personal experience to assume so.

"Well, now that that's over with... Gonta if you'll excuse me, I have some work I must get done. It has been a pleasure speaking with you." It had been a while since he had gotten to the lab, and wanted to try out his recipe at least once before lunchtime. Gonta, however, wasn't done.

"What's that book for?"

"This is a cookbook. Miu and Tsumugi asked that I cook them a foreign meal for a special occasion."

"What is Kiyo cooking?"

Korekiyo flipped to the page with the recipe. Everything was in Russian, making it impossible for Gonta to understand. Korekiyo was forced to translate.

"Oh, that sounds really good! Can Gonta help?"

The sparkly eyes...

"...yes, but only if you promise to follow the recipe exactly. If you have any questions, let me know, as we don't want to ruin the dish."

"Yes! Gonta will only do what book says!"

And with that, they both left the lab and journeyed to the dining hall. Inside Ouma and Shuichi were there, but Kirumi surprisingly was not. Ouma was harassing Shuichi about his hat, which had fallen off, revealing a ridiculously messy head of hair.

"Wow, Shuichi, how does your hat even stay on such a spiky head? I'm surprised it only now fell off~!"

Ignoring the two bickering with each other, Gonta and Korekiyo hurried into the kitchen. Thankfully they were undetected and spared from Ouma.

"So," Gonta started, "how does Gonta start?"

"Lets grab the ingredients from the freezer to start off." Korekiyo responded, making his way to the freezer. They grabbed the ground hamburger from there, and from the cupboards they found the sauce, broth, butter, noodles, vegetables, sour cream, flour, and salt. They put all the ingredients in front of the on the counter, and prepared the skillet, plate, and pot.

"Gonta, you boil the noodles. I will begin the vegetables."

Gonta nodded and poured the noodles in the pot all at once, splashing the boiling water. It missed them both, but made Korekiyo realize that Gonta _really should not be in a kitchen._ Meanwhile, Kiyo put the butter and chopped veggies in the skillet and stirred. He overestimated his cooking abilities, however, and burned them a little. Whatever though, this was a practice run. He'd keep it in mind next time.

"Gonta, could you pass me the meat?" Gonta forgot about the boiling noodles for a moment and fetched the hamburger, but while he was handing it over, he knocked the pot off the stove. Steaming hot water and noodles went all over the floor, soaking Korekiyo's boots and burning Gonta's feet.

"Ow, ow! Gonta sorry, he didn't mean to, Gonta-"

Korekiyo placed his hand on Gonta's shoulder and looked him in the eyes, which calmed Gonta down. "Don't worry about it. Please, go get a towel to soak up the water, and put your feet somewhere cool."

Gonta cleaned up the mess while Korekiyo put more noodles and water into the pot. The vegetables and meat surprisingly didn't burn any more during this time. After cleaning up, Gonta sat by the freezer with his feet against the door. The noodles on the floor were gone, but there was still a damp towel there.

Next, Korekiyo had to mix in the broth and sauce. He dumped in a cup of the broth and mixed it, adding some sauce and salt in as well. After that was done, he covered it and walked over to Gonta.

"Are you sure you're ok? It's fine if you wish to leave and take care of your burns."

"No, Gonta's feet only hurt a little. Gonta is sure they'll be better if he keeps the against the cold door! Besides, Gonta wants to try the food when done." His feet were red, but not as red as before. As long as he wasn't in any pain, Korekiyo supposed it would be ok.

"If you insist." Kiyo walked back to the ingredients and began to measure out the flour when the bag ripped, and flour went everywhere. Thankfully Korekiyo wore a mask, so he didn't inhale any. Gonta on the other hand went into a coughing fit.

Kiyo brushed down his shirt, unsuccessfully trying to get the flour off. Giving up, he scooped some flour off the counter and into the cup. It wasn't as much as was lifted in the recipe, but it would probably be ok...

He added it to the meat alongside the vegetables and sour cream. He stirred for a few minutes before declaring it finished, and set it on a cold back burner to cool down. After doing so he strained the boiled noodles and scooped some onto the plate, pouring the sauce he had made on top. It looked alright, and smelled good, but the taste had yet to be decided.

"Gonta, it's done. Would you like to try?"

Gonta got up and walked over slowly, wincing every time he put his foot down. He grabbed two forks as Korekiyo changed into the appropriate mask. With a fork in each hand, they tasted the meal, and...

"What on _earth_ happened here?!"

Before either of them could get a bite in, Kirumi had walked in and seen the mess they had made. Flour everywhere, the smell of burnt vegetables, messy dishes all over the stove and counter... it was quite the sight.

"Explain right now." Kirumi seemed furious.

"Gonta and Kiyo made dinner!" Gonta said in a much too enthusiastic voice. Kirumi glanced at the plate and then back at them.

"How did you two even manage to make such a mess over such a small meal??"

"We had a few accidents." Kiyo added.

_"A few?!"_ Kirumi no longer seemed angered, but rather bewildered. She masked this quickly, though. "Well, regardless of the disaster you caused, I am curious to see how this tastes." She took the fork from Korekiyo's hand and ate it herself.

"..."

"Well, how is it?"

"Its... terrible."

Terrible?? It couldn't possibly be THAT bad. They had only made a few minor mistakes, how could it negatively affect the meal so much? The opinion was immediately reinforced by Gonta, who ate his bite and made a disgusted face.

Korekiyo got a clean fork and tried it himself.

It was just as bad as you'd expect.

"Why were you cooking in here, anyways?" Kirumi inquired.

"Miu asked me to. I assumed you knew that already. You were there when she assigned me the task, yes?"

"Of course I was, you saw me. However, dinner isn't for a while, and I thought you didn't want to help unless you had to. It doesn't make sense that you'd cook it so early on when you would normally be doing something else."

"I was practicing the recipe beforehand, to make sure I could cook it properly. It's my first time preparing this dish without the help of somebody who has cooked it before and knows it well."

"Well, clearly you need some more practice. If it's such an important thing for you to have a special meal, then I will do it for you, if only to prevent food poisoning. However, I recommend you find another way sometime soon. I will only do this for you once more." Kirumi sternly scolded them both before sending them away from the kitchen.

"Gonta thought it was good, Kiyo!" Gonta lied.

"No, it wasn't. I haven't had enough practice with the dish, so it turned out wrong. Well, at least I won't have to do this again, it seems."

"Yeah. Um... Gonta sorry he couldn't help more."

"It's fine. You did plenty with your moral support." It wasn't exactly moral support that Gonta had actually given, but it was close enough.

"Is Kiyo sure?" Gonta asked, "Then, Gonta glad he could help, even if it not much! But, Gonta wants to know... why exactly did Miu and Tsumugi want this food? You said for special occasion?"

"That... is a private matter." Unable to think of a reason on the spot, Kiyo figured that would be enough to get Gonta to stop asking.

"Oh, ok! Tell Gonta if you can later though, he's curious!" Gonta said as he started to walk away. "And, Gonta thinks we should cook again. Gonta had fun!"

"I will consider it." 

And so their cooking adventure came to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psssshhh proofreading is for n e r d s


	15. Turns out I got a cold :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am in Great Discomfort but at least I'm on vacation now so I have a few days to feel better :0

The cooking had been a failure. So what? It was only one meal. Korekiyo fully believed in his cooking abilities for everything else... it was likely just the chaos caused by Gonta that made him mess up. That was all. He still spent the rest of the afternoon in his lab reading through any and every cookbook he could find.

Dinnertime came and went, and it was time to set up the dining hall.

"So," Miu said, "I fixed up the audio recorder. Should run a lot smoother now, but now we gotta record something else, cuz I accidentally deleted the recording of Kaede. 'Mugi, could you run this back over to her and get another few recordings to loop?"

Tsumugi nodded and took the recorder. She left the room and headed towards Kaede's lab, where she would likely find the pianist practicing.

"Hey folklore cunt, don't just stand there! Kirumi told me you pawned dinner off to her, so you'd better help decorate instead!" Miu demanded as she shoved a pile of small machines into his arms. "Place these all around the walls, k? They're for if they decide to not cooperate. Helped with you a bunch, huh? Gyahaha!"

Upon further inspection, each machine held a small, round pellet and was loaded with a spring mechanism. _So this is what she was pelting me with,_ Kiyo thought. _How clever. They're too small to notice in a dark room, yet hold a rather effective weapon._ He began hanging them in random spots along the walls after a moment's hesitation.

While he was doing this, Miu replaced the normal light with her special mood light, which was remote-controlled and had access to every colour lighting imaginable. Along with that, it could also turn into a strobe light or disco ball, but neither of those were often needed. Miu also hooked up what appeared to be small surveillance cameras into each corner of the ceiling.

"Oi, Kiyo, do me a favour and grab a metric fuckton of flower petals, ok? It doesn't matter what kind specifically, but the more colourful, the better!"

"A... 'metric fuckton'? I apologize, but you'll have to be far more specific." If she wanted to get petals, she'd have to tell him how much in an actual form of measurement, not... that inappropriate mess.

Miu sighed and walked into the kitchen only to come out a moment later holding a very small pot, which she handed to Korekiyo. "Fill this with petals, got it?" Korekiyo took the pot somewhat unwillingly and made his way to the hallway.

-

Everything was set up. The layout was similar to the AV room from last night, but had some unique features. All but two of the chairs were moved to the kitchen doorway, effectively preventing entry. The remaining chairs were put across from each other at the short ends of the table. The table and surrounding floor were covered in vibrant flower petals, courtesy of Korekiyo. Kirumi had finished the food and placed two plates on the table, along with wine glasses filled with apple cider (It kept the aesthetic without being alcoholic. Teenagers are underage and can't drink, you know!) Miu ran a final inspection of the room to make sure it was all set.

As she finished up, Tsumugi arrived after having told Kaito and Maki to meet at the set location. "I saw both of them read the messages," she said out of breath," "so they should be here any minute!"

"I shall take my leave, then. Good luck with your task." Kirumi stated as she left the room. Korekiyo, Miu, and Tsumugi all headed to the back of the kitchen and dragged the chairs back to the entrance. In there, Miu had set up a monitor which could switch between any of the cameras she had installed. She also held a remote with quite a few buttons and the music recorder, which she held her finger over, ready to switch it on once both Kaito and Maki entered the dining hall.

Kaito was there first, and was quickly followed by Maki.

"Oh, Maki roll! Good to see ya! You said you wanted to meet me here to discuss somethin important, right?"

"Don't call me that. And actually, I came here because I received a message that YOU wanted to tell me something. Are you just playing stupid or something?"

"Hm? No, I never sent you any sort of message. Maybe there's some sort of mistake...?"

Once they had begun to realise they were set up, Miu pressed the button to play the audio. It wasn't piano this time, but instead smooth jazz. The audio quality was much better this time but still sounded a tad off.

"Huh? I thought I fixed the weird audio errors! And Tsumugi, why didn't you get the audio I told ya to get?!" Whined Miu, upset that it wasn't exactly as she envisioned it.

"Um, Kaede wasn't there, so I went to the game room and recorded the music from one of the games instead. I thought it sounded ok when I recorded it, but now it doesn't seem to be great quality..."

"Whatever. What's done is done, I guess. Just shutup so I can hear what they're doin!" With that, Miu gripped the controller with both hands and pressed two buttons, one after another. One dimmed the lights, while the other had no visible effect.

"...Huh?" Maki exclaimed, "What is this?" She only just now seemed to be taking in her surroundings. "It's set up in a suspicious way. Kaito, we should just leave." She reached for the door, but even when she jiggled the handle, it didn't open.

"Maki, can't you open it?"

"No, we're locked in... who the hell is doing this?" She looked around the room with a deadly look in her eyes, searching for the one who set it up. "Do you WANT to die?" Maki threatened before banging on the door.

"Hey, hey, chill out a bit! This place doesn't seem dangerous or anything. And look, there's some free food on the table!" Kaito smiled happily as he pointed this out.

"Yeah, it might be poisoned. Do you really want to take the chance of eating food conveniently left out like this during a _killing game_?"

"Well, I mean... I don't THINK it's poisoned, so I may as well try it, y'know? I trust these guys enough to think it's safe!"

Though it was hard to tell from the camera angle they had, it seemed as though Maki rolled her eyes at this. "Mmhm. Tell me that when you're writhing on the ground half dead." Despite this remark, she sat down with him and, after a moment of hesitation, started eating.

Tsumugi broke the silence between the three as they watched the couple chat over the suspicious dinner. "Miu, I know it's a bit late to point this out, but... you didn't really include anything else in there for them. Last night we put on a movie, but tonight all they have to stay occupied is talking with each other. Is this really going to work?"

"Don't worry about that. There's a fun surprise coming for em soon enough!" Miu stifled a laugh, but Tsumugi and Korekiyo both shared a worried glance.

Miu was laughing over some odd 'surprise'... it must be something bad. It had to be. But what? There were no lewd decorations, no dangerous inventions, no drugs in the food...

...no drugs in the food?

Almost as if the mere thought was some sort of trigger for a chain reaction from hell, Kaito stopped eating and began to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

_God fucking dammit, Miu._

Korekiyo knew what was coming, and did not want to stick around for the consequences. Soon enough, the conversation between Kaito and Maki came to a halt as Maki started to show similar symptoms. Tsumugi had apparently caught on as well.

"M-Miu, why are they acting so strangely? Don't tell me what I think it is...!"

"Hmmmmm? I got no clue what you're talkin about! I'm innocent, I tell you!"

"Miu, what did you do?!?"

"Nothing much. I just put a little something fun in their food when nobody was looking."

"You don't mean-!"

"Hell yeah, baby!" Miu whisper-screamed, "These two are gonna get it on for momma tonight, and all on camera, too! And it's 'cuz of these WONDERFUL aphrodisiacs I found the other night!" She pulled a small bottle out of her pocket and shook it in front of the two.

Welp, it was time for Kiyo to leave. He had seen everything.

He stood up and began walking towards the door before Miu stopped him. "Where the hell are you planning on goin? If they see you, Maki is gonna kick your ass!" She smirked, knowing that she had trapped them all in the room with no means of escape. For somebody in an equally terrible situation, she was awfully happy.

"Well then Miu, what do _you_ plan on doing? Need I remind you that we are trapped here together?" To further drive his point in, the figures on the minister grew more restless.

"Kaito, what the hell was in this food...?? I-It isn't normal... you're feeling this too, aren't you?"

"Maki roll, calm down-"

"Don't call me that."

"-I'm sure it's... nothing bad. It can't be, right?"

"I doubt it. Hey, who the hell is there? Who set all this up!?"

Maki stood up and did a sweeping check of the room. Finally, her eyes laid on the stack of chairs blocking the kitchen, and she marched over while yelling out her usual threat of 'Do you want to die?"

"D'you think whoever did this is in there?" Kaito asked. Maki shot a glare at him before hauling away the stack of chairs.

"Shit, shit, shit..." Miu chanted quietly under her breath. She hurried to turn off the monitor before Maki could see the glow, and the three culprits crammed together in the corner with the rest of the evidence.

"Miu, what on earth made you think this would be a good idea??" Asked Tsumugi, who seemed exceptionally upset by the whole ordeal. "Were going to be caught, and Maki is going to kill us!"

"S-Shutup! I just wanted a little fun! And she's going to hear you!"

Maki was not quiet while searching the kitchen. The whole time she was rambling about how she would punish them, though she sounded like she was in a haze. Despite the aphrodisiacs effects, she was going strong.

"Maki, seriously, relax... whoever did this probably ain't gonna come out. Don't you think it'd be better if you gave up, and... spent time with me? That's why we're here, ri-"

"Kaito, I swear to god, if you don't shutup I will kill you in the most brutal way imaginable."

Her usual malice wasn't there. Whether it was because of the drugs or her feelings toward Kaito wasn't clear. Regardless, her pursuit continued, and she drew closer, and closer, and closer...

Without thinking, Korekiyo bolted. There was no way in hell he was going to be caught with Miu and suspected of putting drugs in Maki's food. It was dark, so maybe she wouldn't see or catch him.

He brushed past Maki, but her reflexes weren't as on point as usual, so she couldn't grab him. She shouted after him and tried to give chase, but by the time she had even registered him he was in the dining hall, headed towards the door. Kaito merely gave a glance as he burst through the doors. Miu must have unlocked them at some point, likely anticipating their attempted escape.

Slamming the door shut, Korekiyo paused to listen for Maki's reaction. It was mostly screaming at Kaito for not catching him, or yelling at Kaito to stop getting so close. Kiyo decided to get back to his room before either could follow.

-

Well, today had certainly been interesting, that's for sure. The cooking had been eventful enough all on its own, so the thing with Maki and Kaito felt a bit over-the-top. Kiyo started to wonder how Miu and Tsumugi got out, or if they got out at all, but then considered it a pointless thought. He'd find out in the morning.

_"I see you ignored my orders, my dear Korekiyo."_

He had completely forgotten about his Sister and how he had defied Her. The sudden voice made him jump.

"I... I apologize. It happened in the moment, and it felt wrong to just tell him no, so I-"

_"You threw what I told you to the side and did whatever you felt like. Isn't that right?"_

Korekiyo could only sit in silence. What he had done was wrong. Her burning gaze burned him, it reminded him that She was the one who knew better, not him. He should always listen to Her. But...

_"That horrible bastard had the audacity to compare his life to yours. He was right, though. Perhaps he could be a little more human if he could properly listen to somebody's orders. He was correct when he deduced that it's what made you such a 'gentleman,' you know."_ She giggled and Kiyo could feel the weight of Her on his back, pulling him into a hug. _"But you still broke broke your promise with me. Even after I gave you another chance"_

Had Gonta really been right?

_"So,"_ She continued, "I believe a bit of punishment is in order. It is rather soon after the last, but I feel as though you didn't quite get the point the first time." Taking control of his body, she repeated the ritual of getting the knife and positioning it over his ravaged arm.

"..."

_"Well?_

"I... I think..." Korekiyo lowered the knife down to the side, placing it on his bed. "I think I did get it. More punishment is not necessary."

_"Not finished defying your Sister I see. Even though I know better than you?"_ Her words shot at him like bullets. Malicious, terrible bullets.

"Do you wish to see me harmed?"

_"To accuse your own sister of something so heartless... do you truly feel that way about me?"_ Her innocent that she had accidentally dropped came back almost immediately.

"Of course not. You would... you would never feel such a way, either. It's just-"

_"Just what, my sweet, dear Korekiyo? Do you believe you don't need punishment for your wrongdoings?"_

"No. But why must they be physical?"

_"Physical discipline is very effective, you know. Now, if you don't intend to do this yourself, I will do it for you. Stop questioning me. Just leave it at 'Sister knows better,' because that's the truth."_

She took over Korekiyo's body once more and grabbed the knife. She made one good cut on his arm before being pushed out by Kiyo, who was now fighting for control.

"Isn't it counterproductive to inflict it yourself!?"

_"You weren't doing it, so I had to take action! As I said before, you have to stop questioning me!!"_ She pushed back equally hard, and the blade hovered above the bloody arm while the two fought over whether it should go forward or back.

Never in his life did Korekiyo think he would he fighting with his beloved Sister. But something was changing in him, and he wasn't as willing to follow her every command as he had been the previous years in his life. Surprisingly, being punished hurt, and recent conversations had brought to light that maybe, just maybe, having close friends of his own wasn't something to be punished for.

Sister was never wrong about anything, though. Could she be? Of course not, she'd never been wrong before. Conflicting thoughts, rivaling ideas, terrifying predictions. Their shared mind was a mess. Kiyo didn't hate her, he could never hate her, but when he couldn't even tell who's thoughts and actions were who's, he had to step in. Did he really though? It might not be a bad thing for Her to have so much control. Confusion weaved in and out of all the fighting, emerging, taking over, then disappearing.

Eventually, the physical body was exhausted. Regardless of who was in control, they were worn out.

_"Y-you... you really think you deserve control?"_ his Sister mocked, _"You can't even decide something as obvious as whether I'm good for you or not!"_

Kiyo didn't have to speak to communicate his thoughts. He couldn't have, anyways. There was no way to put the chaotic mess his feelings were into words. He loved her, he hated the way she treated him, he deserved it, he didn't deserve it, he wanted to be close to Gonta, other people were a waste of time... all of these thoughts at once, none of them working well with each other. It was impossible.

Without another word, his Sister disappeared, leaving him lying there bloody and frustrated. He knew he should clean his arm, but he just tied it with a torn cloth from his spare bedsheets and went to sleep. There was no point in thinking anymore.

Perhaps his Sister wasn't as great as he had initially thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might do a double update tonight to try and make up for the lack of updates the past few days butimtiredsodontcountonit
> 
> Also sorry for the severe lack of Gonta this chapter there'll be much more in the next one I swear


	16. Apparently I'm a freak for liking warm temperatures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure 80°F isn't that hot????? It's nice and toasty but everybody keeps yelling at me to turn it down what the fuck
> 
> Also I read a really really good KuzuTeru fic and I'm love that ship now??? My boy Teru needs more love from both the canon characters and the fandom. A KuzuTeru might be my next project after this :0

Another odd dream.

No, to say it was just an odd dream would be a dramatic understatement. A more accurate description would be... ah, yes.

A traumatic nightmare.

-

The first time Korekiyo had ever killed for his Sister, he was not prepared. No matter how much he thought he was, no matter how much he mentally prepped for it. He was not ready.

She was a nice girl, one of the only people who willingly spent time with him. She was passionate about her interests, which mostly laid in the field of dance. She was agile, alert, emotional. She was the perfect friend for Sister.

He'd invited her to the park to go on a walk, just to talk about recent events. He couldn't focus though, and kept fidgeting with the straps on his backpack which carried a knife. But that's not what matters.

The part of the dream that focused on the walk had been almost pleasant, save for the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding them that only Korekiyo could pick up on. They walked around town, eventually walking down a dark, cramped alleyway. It wasn't hard to get her there. All he had to do was pretend he had seen something suspicious and ask to investigate. She was curious as well and trusted him, so she had been none the wiser.

And then he reached into his bag, pulled the knife out, and stabbed her in the chest.

Panic.

Overwhelming panic.

Hyperventilating, he'd just killed someone. He'd thought he'd know what it would be like, but he was so wrong. What would he do with the body, how would he cover up her disappearance? Was he going crazy, killing for his Sister? Of course he wasn't. She didn't deserve to be lonely, he HAD to bring Her friends. This was the only way. But he had killed another human being, the very thing that gave his life purpose. He was meant to observe. He had destroyed that chance.

The dream never got to what happened after. It never went over the stench of the body, or the frantic desperation that came when trying to hide it. It never went over the feeling of his guts being ripped out that he got every time somebody asked about her. No, the dream spared him of that. Instead, it played over the actual murder over and over again.

_Stab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

_Stab_

The sound was sickening, playing on loop for what felt like eternity. She was dead but he wouldn't stop bringing the knife down. She was unmoving, she was bleeding, but it never felt like enough. It always felt as though if he stopped, she'd get up and rat him out. He'd rot in prison or serve the death penalty, he'd never reach his goal or observe the beauty of humanity again, and the thoughts terrified him. Stab, stab, stab. Over and over.

-

And then he woke up.

The dream was over but his panic was not. He jolted up hyperventilating, unable to shake the memories. Normally when he was in a state like this his Sister would help but She was refusing to do so. Not a word from Her, not even the feeling of Her presence. Korekiyo was alone.

When he looked at his clock, it read 8:37, which was much later than his usual time of awakening. It was strange. He'd been going to sleep much earlier than normal as of late, yet also woke up much later. At the same time, he'd been much more tired than he'd felt in a long while.

He leaned on his left arm as he got up and was greeted with an intense pain. Oh, right. There was a fresh cut there, crudely bandaged up with a torn bedsheet. The sheets in use were stained pink with blood, something he'd likely have trouble explaining to Toujou when she came to clean them. Perhaps he could convince her that he was secretly a woman, and had been surprised with... no, that would never work. He'd simply have to tell her when she inevitably asked. That would surely be _fun._

He cleaned himself up a bit (something he regretted not doing the night before) and got dressed. He still looked like a bit of a mess, but hopefully the others wouldn't notice. Feeling about as satisfied with his appearance as he was going to get, he left his room and went to get breakfast. Though he'd prefer avoiding the meal entirely, he knew that somebody would come to check on him eventually if he didn't go.

When he arrived, it was mostly empty save for Hoshi, Kaito, Amami, Tsumugi, and... Miu.

The three boys were talking amongst themselves peacefully, while Miu and Tsumugi were arguing over something. Korekiyo almost walked out before they had noticed him, but saw that Miu had a black eye and decided to ask if she was alright, if only out of pity.

"Eh? You mean my black an' blue? Maki got a little too pissy last night. After you bolted as fast as you probably last in bed, me and 'Mugi tried to get out too. She made it out ok, but Maki caught me and, well..." She gestured towards her eye, "...THIS happened."

"I apologize. Did either Kaito or Maki say anything of me?" Korekiyo asked, curious as to whether he'd feel any

"Nah. You got lucky, dumbass. I mean, yeah, they know I had at least one other person as an accomplice, but they didn't get a good enough look at you to realize who it was." She scoffed and looked at the ground. "You're fuckin lucky I didn't just sell you guys out right then and there. You could've at least helped me out, dammit!"

Tsumugi put her hands on her hips and scrunched up her face. "Last I checked, neither of us put aphrodisiacs in their food! And speaking of which, you're banned from going near the food ever again! We are _not_ having a repeat of that."

"...'again?'" Kiyo asked. She spoke as though she wanted to continue this, even after the disaster last night. "If you truly do not want a repeat, then you would quit this entirely, yes?"

"Well..."

"Well?"

The plain girl sighed and relaxed her posture, looking ashamed. "Even if we quit this, who's to say somebody else wouldn't do something similar or worse? This place is boring, isn't it? We can't just be crammed into a space like this without any events!"

"So you're doing this just for excitement." Interesting. It figured that the Ultimate Cosplayer would be easily bored. She must be used to constant stimulus, whether she's watching her anime or creating a costume based off a character from said anime. A rather repetitive cycle, but one that kept her busy.

"When you put it like that, it sounds selfish, but yes. That's plainly it. But, it's beneficial to you too, right? As an anthropologist, all of t-"

"Yeah, all this romantic scenario bullshit must really get your 'humanity is beautiful' boner raging! _Gyahahaha!!!_ " Miu butted in without warning.

"...erm, sure. Though I would have phrased it a little differently, Miu..." Tsumugi said as she shook her head in subtle disapproval. "But back on topic, Miu, you aren't allowed anywhere near the consumables tonight. Got that?"

"Pfft, don't get your panties in a twist over that. Ouma wanted to see me for somethin, so I might not even be able to help the whole night. You two have gotta set this up yourselves, got it? Who's it for again, anyways?"

"Uh..."

Tsumugi turned her head towards Korekiyo, and Miu's eyes followed.

"Ah shit, that's right."

Yep, tonight was focused around him, much to the annoyance of Kiyo. He had hoped that they would forget, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"What, you expect me to set up for my own... meeting?"

"I mean," Miu whined, "you don't really have a choice in the matter. Blackmail is a magical thing, remember? And besides, this way you'll be able to set it up _exactly the way you like._ "

The way she said those words gave Korekiyo a bad feeling, but he was the one in control this time, so he brushed it off. He both dreaded and looked forward to the day Miu's innuendos no longer affected him.

"Fine, I will accept your orders." He said after considering once again whether having the photo shown would be worse than this or not. Miu gave a disgusting giggle after hearing this. "Moving on from that conversation, do either of you know if there is any breakfast left?"

"No, Kirumi gave all the leftovers to Kaito and Maki, because of the incident last night."

"Then there is no reason for me to stay here any longer. In that case, I will see you later on when I am forced down here again."

"Well wait," Tsumugi stopped him, "give us a meeting place, ok? I'm sure you won't want much in terms of decorations, so we don't need a lot of planning for that, but at least tell us WHERE you want this, ok? And then we can meet up around 7 to prepare."

"The library would be my preferred spot."

"Ok then, it's settled. And I assume that a note won't work twice on Gonta, so could you tell Gonta to meet you there yourself? You can give him any time you want."

Miu spoke up now. "Don't even think about bailing, either. I'm giving you this much leeway, so don't fuckin abuse it! I'll ask Gonta about it later, anyways."

Korekiyo sighed and glared at Miu. So much for that idea. "Very well then, I will inform him personally." He hurried out of the room before another word could be spoken.

-

'May as well tell Gonta before going to to my lab,' Kiyo thought. This hunt for Gonta thankfully didn't turn into another while goose chase, and he found him chatting with Kirumi in the lobby.

After waiting for their conversation to end and for Kirumi to enter one of the rooms for their weekly cleaning, Korekiyo went up to him. "Gonta," he started, "I wish to request a meeting with you tonight."

"A meeting with Gonta? Ok, when? Gonta has plans tonight, and might not have time."

Gonta had plans? That certainly piqued Kiyo's interest. However, private matters were meant to be private. He shouldn't pry. "At 7:30 in the library. I have matters I wish to discuss with you."

That was a lie. But thinking of topics on the spot was getting easier the more he practiced, so striking up conversation then shouldn't be too hard. He had time to think before the meeting.

"Hmm..."

"Can you make it?"

Gonta thought for a moment, trying to visualise his schedule. "Yeah, Gonta can make it! Gonta looking forward to it, too! See you then!" He smiled and then walked off as though he were in a hurry to get somewhere specific.

...

_Gonta_ had private, personal plans??

-

The thought hung around Korekiyo for the rest of the day. He was in his lab, reading random books and taking notes on them, but couldn't focus completely (Which is not great for someone in an academic field).

It wasn't jealousy or anything, certainly not that. But Gonta had always been an open book, and he HAD appeared to be close with Korekiyo... hadn't he? No, that was silly. Of course Gonta had other things in his life. Though if it wasn't something he felt he could talk to Korekiyo about, then could it have ill intentions...?

No. That was just stupid to even consider. Gonta was too kind and innocent, he'd never hurt a fly. He simply was talking with someone else, that's all. Plans with another person. Not Kiyo. That was fine.

Frustrated with his own intrusive thoughts, Korekiyo laid his head down on a table and groaned. He couldn't concentrate like this. Why was he so concerned with Gonta, anyways? He was just like any other person Korekiyo had researched independently. Sure he was sweet and dense in a cute way, but those were just traits. Traits that millions of other people shared. He tugged his hair, trying to snap himself out of it.

Suddenly, the door to his lab slid open with a violent 'thud' and Kirumi stomped in.

"Shinguuji!!" Her furious voice echoed up the walls of his tall lab, filling the room. "What is the meaning of this!?"

She'd found out.


	17. I ate an entire cheesecake today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And I don't mean like, a tiny slice. No. I ate a full circular cheesecake and I don't regret anything. On a similar note, I've eaten a lot of maraschino cherries as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only today came to the realisation that it is not Hoshi Ryouma or Toujou Kirumi, but is in fact Ryouma Hoshi and Kirumi Toujou. This deeply upsets me. Ryouma is not a first fucking name. Kirumi I can see being a first name rather than a last name. Hoshi though? Hoshi?????? What kind of fucking LAST name is HOSHI. HOSHI DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A SURNAME?????????? I hate life.
> 
> Also I'm not gonna use Toujou instead of Kirumi, nor will I go back and edit the chapters. This is because I am lazy and also crave consistency. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna fucjin kms for not noticing this sooner.

Korekiyo climbed down the stairs and stood in front of Kirumi, who held a basket of cloth in her arms. She glared at him with a livid expression.

She knew, but she didn't know all of it.

"Hello to you as well, Kirumi. Do you mind if I inquire as to what you are asking?"

Up on hearing this, the maid reached into the basket and pulled out a bedsheet stained pink along with a bloodied knife. He expected the bedsheets to be used against him, but not the knife. He must have forgotten to hide it that morning...

"Who have you harmed?" She demanded, fully expecting Korekiyo to have hurt somebody else. "This is undeniably blood, and you cannot just find that anywhere."

"I can assure you, I have not harmed anybo-"

"Don't even bother lying to me." Kirumi interrupted. She stepped closer, bringing herself inches away from him. "I apologize for the lack of composure, _Mr. Shinguuji,_ but this is an extremely important matter that cannot be overlooked under any circumstances."

"I- you see, the reasoning for this... there is nothing... Kirumi, I can assure you-" He kept tripping over his own words. He couldn't just tell her it had been from his own actions, from HER actions. He'd be seen as crazy, unstable. Perhaps that was correct, but he couldn't bear the idea of constant supervision "just in case." He was sweating, nervous, unable to think of something, acting entirely unlike himself.

And Kirumi seemed to notice.

"Tell me now, Shinguuji, or I will inform everybody else of this. Unless..."

Korekiyo could swear he saw an actual, physical light bulb turn on above her head.

"...Shinguuji, please roll up your sleeves."

Admitting defeat, he took a step back from the way-too-close Kirumi and sighed. He rolled up his right sleeve instead of his left, which had the fresher wound. Both arms had scars, but the left one had far more, since his right hand was dominant. He then removed the bandages. Seeing the sight, Kirumi's expression softened and she brought a hand to her mouth, though she remained silent for a solid minute after.

"And the other, too."

Following her instructions, Korekiyo reluctantly repeated the actions on his left arm, revealing even more.

Deafening silence.

"..."

"...

"..."

An uncomfortable, lengthy, dominating silence. Neither could bear to look at the other for a long while.

"I... Shinguuji, I will not pry into why this has happened, or for how long, but... please know you have people you can speak to." Despite being an incredible maid who could flawlessly serve others and come up with advice for near anything, she seemed to have no practice with this sort of thing. And it showed.

Korekiyo nodded and she quietly left the room, uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. What had he expected, some heartfelt moment where she sat and asked questions for hours, comforted him, assured him it would be alright? No, that was ridiculous to consider. The only person willing to do that for him had abandoned him, though hopefully only temporarily. It was not Kirumi's job to help him, he shouldn't have ever thought of it.

He sat and cried, regardless.

-

A disgusting, emotional mess. That's all he was. Pitiful at best. He was alone, nobody could see him, but the fact remained prominent. Something so unimportant, insignificant. She had no obligation. Neither of them did. Korekiyo was lucky either of them had ever bothered to help as much as they had. Whether it was her or Her, it was undeserved. This weak moment of his where he couldn't stop the negative thoughts proved it.

It wasn't a strong, emotional type of breakdown. There was no rush of emotions. He wasn't even sure if he had any left. If was a quiet, defeated type of crying. There was no sadness, anger, fear. Only a vague feeling of emptiness, of unfulfillment. He was so weak that he didn't even NEED emotions in order to cry. His Sister had been right about him, hadn't She? A simple act of rejection towards something that had never been obligated was all it took. Disgusting.

Perhaps he shouldn't even go tonight. Perhaps he deserved the punishment that would await. The blackmail scenario was stupid. He could just ditch Miu and Tsumugi and Gonta, and hide away in his room forever. There was no point to it. What would they even do to stop him? He could just lock the door, starve to death. No big deal. He was being melodramatic, Korekiyo knew this, but that only solidified his thoughts of him being weak and worthless. His Sister truly was the only one who cared about him, and he didn't deserve it.

In here, he could never finish his goal even if he tried. He'd be caught too quickly. If he couldn't finish his goal, there was no reason to fight death. He may as well die now.

And so, he locked himself in his room forever to starve to death.

-

He glanced at the clock from his bed, where he was laying face down. 7:27. Tsumugi was probably wondering where he was, and soon Gonta would be, too. He wondered if Miu had any idea. He also considered using the knife again, and he almost did, but then found that Kirumi had not returned it to his bedside table. Damn.

He was trying to fall asleep, trying to will the day to come to an end, when he heard knocking on his door.

"I'mf mmfbzy." He said in a barely audible, muffled voice.

"...Hello? Korekiyo, hello??"

He pulled his face out from his pillow and repeated "I'm busy!" in a drowsy, slightly louder voice.

"Um, I'm sorry, but Kirumi told me to not take that as an answer..." the voice was undoubtedly Tsumugi. "I'm plainly going to need you to come out, ok? Even if you don't want to."

Surprisingly, Gonta spoke up next. "Kiyo! Tsumugi told Gonta that you might not come tonight, because you not feeling good! Is Kiyo ok?"

Korekiyo put his face back down and groaned, pushing the ends of the pillow against his skull. Why did they have to be here?

"I said I'm _busy._ "

"Oh, sorry... Gonta will go now-"

Muffled talking on the other side of the door, and then footsteps. Good, he thought, they were finally going to leave him alone.

About five minutes later, however, and they were back. It seemed like their numbers had doubled too, by the sounds of their footsteps.

_Click, click, jiggle, clunk_

Kiyo raised his head once more at the suspicious noises coming from his door. He sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed. The noises stopped, and the doorknob turned painfully slowly. The door opening was as fast as lightning, though, as Ouma had kicked it open.

"Nishishi~! Surpriiiiiise! Are you glad to see me, Kiyo?"

He wasn't.

Beside Ouma were Gonta, Tsumugi, and Miu. They walked into his room one at a time, all asking questions at once.

"Why were you hiding, huh?"

"Is Kiyo ok!?"

"What, you thought you could just hide from me, you fuckin virgin?"

"Why wouldn't you let us in?"

"Does Kiyo not like Gonta anymore???"

"Why didn't you show up on time?"

"Is there something suspicious happening in here?"

"Remember the 'motive' I've got for you?"

"What was with Kirumi earlier? She asked me to keep a close eye on you, what was that about?"

"Did you kill somebody or somethin?"

It was a lot to take in at once. A bit too much, in fact, because Korekiyo nearly had another breakdown on the spot. Thankfully, Tsumugi noticed him starting to hyperventilate, and rushed to him.

"Kiyo, calm down, it's ok...! We didn't mean to start all at once, but we really, really need to know why you locked yourself in here!"

"Yeah," Ouma added, "why'd you hafta force me to use my awesome lockpicking skills? Not that I minded, of course!" He said grinning.

"Let him catch his breath, Ouma..."

"Hypocrite."

Now breathing evenly, Korekiyo began to search for an excuse. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"I... just needed some time to myself, is all. I told you I was busy, didn't I?"

"Busy with what, asshole? Jerkin it or something? I doubt it! Kirumi said you might do something bad if we left you alone, so spit it out already, cunt!"

'Might do something bad...' If she was going to tell them, the least she could have done was tell them all of it. Now he was stuck explaining.

"...I'm not quite sure either. Perhaps she thought I was responsible for the... erm, _incident_ last night," he said while glaring at Miu, "and wanted to prevent me from doing something similar."

"No, she already knew it was me-"

"What is Miu talking about?" Gonta interrupted.

"-so she wouldn't have suspected you," Miu continued while ignoring Gonta, "so she'd never bring up the possibility of a shitty virgin like you doin it." She paused a moment, thinking about the other possibilities. Her facial expression shifted a bit before she finished with "well, there's no point in askin anymore, since obviously you're not as quick to let it all out as I first thought. I can always just ask Kirumi later. Anyways, now that that's done..."

"We're done already?" Tsumugi asked with a concerned tone of voice, "but we didn't get anything from hi-"

"Gonta!" Miu stopped her, "stay here with Kiyo until you're certain he's not gonna do anything, k? He 'owes me a favour,' anyways." She winked before dragging the cosplayer and leader out the door with her.

And so, without any prior warning, he was stuck in his room with a very, very confused Gonta.

-

Korekiyo was not calm by any means. No, they'd done a terrible job at calming him, but in turn did an excellent job at wounding him up even more. He wasn't hyperventilating at least. Instead, he was panicking silently, staring at his wall.

This was so unlike him.

To think one small action, or lack of action to be more specific, had caused all of this. The eternally calm and smooth Korekiyo was now a vulnerable pile of shit who couldn't even die on his own terms in his own room. Why was Miu doing this to him? This obviously had nothing to do with her entertainment. This was revenge. But for what?

"Is Kiyo... ok?"

Gonta broke the silence between them after what felt like forever. In reality, it had only been about 3 minutes, but the effect was still there. Korekiyo hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to lie or not.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I assure you, I am."

His gaze shifted from the wall to his feet, further contradicting his statement. He felt numb, and alone. He felt he deserved this. Silence fell again.

"..."

"..."

"Kiyo, you can tell Gonta, if you want. Gonta..."

"..."

"...Gonta will listen!"

He gained a determined face. Determined to listen, determined to comfort, determined to share, to help, to be understanding.

Determined to make Korekiyo cry all over again.

"K-Kiyo! Are you ok!?"

The sudden showing of emotion must have startled the entomologist, and confused him even more than he had been previously. In front of him was a broken version of the friend he had been getting to know. Broken, not working properly, waiting to be thrown away. Good for nothing. Unable to speak through violent sobs, more violent than anything he had done since he'd gotten there. More emotional than he'd been in years, than he could ever remember. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he be the way he had been before!? Why wasn't he...

Why wasn't he...

Wasn't...

...

It wasn't the usual hug he'd get from Gonta. It wasn't bone crushing, it wasn't suffocating. It wasn't an overly strong display of affection. It was gentle, done with care and thought. It was purposeful.

It was there, with his face between Gonta's shoulder and neck, crying harder than he would normally ever allow himself to, and with Gonta reassuring him that things would be ok even if he didn't understand how to help completely...

It was there that he realised he was in love with Gonta gokuhara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I did not see that coming what a twist omg :0


	18. It's 5 am!!!!! Help me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't sleep hhhhhhh I'm Wide Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that yokai watch porn is a thing? Because I didn't until recently. And I really wish it had stayed that way but we can't all be lucky like that now can we :)

When it comes to finding out you love somebody, reactions vary greatly.

With some people, it could be love at first sight. With others, it takes a long time, maybe even years. Some people can simply slip into it easily, accepting it immediately. Others deny it until the end of time. Some people are free to love who they wish, but others are forced to love certain people or to love none at all. Everybody handles it differently.

Korekiyo Shinguuji did not handle it well.

-

He didn't really have time to process these feelings until Gonta left. Until he walked out the door, he'd been comforting him. Gonta didn't even let Kiyo think. He wouldn't shut up, to be perfectly honest. Going on and on about good things, like history (yeah, that's pretty good), bugs (no, no, not good), and family (somehow even worse than bugs).

Ah yes, family. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings...

Siblings like brothers.

And sisters.

The door shut behind Gonta and She appeared practically instantly.

_"Hmmmm? What was that you were thinking earlier? You lo... lose? Left? Laughed? You..._ love _him? Did I hear that correctly?"_

Korekiyo didn't say anything.

_"You don't even understand the meaning of that word. Love, what a confusing concept. You could never grasp it even if you tried. It's best to simply follow my advice on the subject. I understand it. I'm all you need, really."_

He remained silent.

_"Eh? Aren't you going to say anything? I went through all the trouble of forgiving you for last night, you know. I'm here for you, my dear, sweet Korekiyo, I'm here. I even forgive you for devolving into that sniveling hunk of trash earlier. That's tough for me to do, don't you know?"_

"...if it's so tough, then..."

_"Then why did I come back at all?"_ She curled around him, speaking each word with a disgusting grace and sickening sweetness, _"Because I love you. And I'm the only one, the ONLY one, who will ever do so. You shouldn't even have to ask this."_

...

No, that wasn't true.

_"Of course it is."_

The venom and malice in her words made Kiyo flinch. He didn't even have to say it for Her to hear. He couldn't hide from Her, even in his own thoughts. She was the only one who knew him inside and out, yet She still loved him.

She still loved him...

_"Yes. I still love you regardless of all the terrible, disgusting things you've done. Just let me be your true beloved, let me take you... stop fighting, my dearest, sweetest, most horrible Korekiyo. I love you."_

...She loves him?

It felt like he had snapped out of a deep trance that he had been under for years, which actually wasn't entirely inaccurate. "No," he stammered, "you... you never loved me. You never did!" He stood up on weak legs, and was immediately unsure as to why, since they shared a body. Even if it was pointless, though, it gave him a sense of... not exactly power, but defiance. He wasn't going to sit and take it. He'd at least be knocked down, rather than take the beating while submissively sitting.

_"You're claiming something as absurd as that...?"_

Genuine shock ran through Her voice.

_"...you don't even understand what I've put up with from you."_

This time, it was rage.

_"Oh yes, a sick, lonely sister... who only wanted to spend time with her brother, her sweet, supportive brother, who spent so much time with the other children who didn't even like him. You say you visited me as often as you could, but what about my weakest moments? School, you claimed, it was school that took that time away. Events, vacation, etcetera, etcetera. All worthless. Your sister rotted in a hospital alone. And when I wanted you to do things for me, because I couldn't do them myself... you so selfishly refused...! Your poor, sick sister! Such a simple request. You didn't want to show me what love was like. I had to convince you. You didn't want to get me friends. I had to convince you. You were so selfish, and you still are. You're selfish and disgusting, horrible and unlovable. Yet I love you still."_

Her grip on his shoulders tightened and he could feel Her breathing down his neck - did ghosts breathe? - and She wrapped her arms around him. A hug. A cold, overbearing hug. She sat him back down on the bed. He was Hers. An object. Meant to live the life She never could, meant to help Her experience the wonders of life She was deprived of. The means to make Her perfect ends meet. All for Her. She loved him.

He couldn't believe this. No, it was wrong. It was right. She loved, She hated him, for Her for him, he was worthless he deserves better he didn't want this nothing made sense everything was falling apart he shouldn't even be here-

"You're a liar."

She paused for a moment.

_"Hm? Repeat that, would you?"_

"You're a fucking liar."

_"What am I lying about, then? Explain for me. You're really pushing it this time. I may never forgive you if you continue acting this way, you know. Younger siblings should listen to their ol-"_

"I'm not your doll."

Her grip loosened and She backed off a bit, leaving Korekiyo in a ball at the edge of his bed. Knees to his chest, head buried in his arms, teetering on the edge of his mattress. He was a pathetic sight. He was an independent, human sight.

_"...is that how you view the situation? Korekiyo, you could not be more wrong, I-"_

"Then what... what am I to you?"

No response.

"Well!?"

_"You're reading too much into this. You're my little brother, my beloved, my-"_

"No," he interrupted again, "I want an honest answer this time." He was done with her excuses. He wanted the truth.

_"Fine, then. You want the truth, do you?"_

He nodded once, slowly.

_"I'll give it to you, then."_ Her presence shifted to the other side of him, until She was facing him, inches away. _"I am a liar, just like you said."_

...

_"Of course nobody could love you. Not even I can, no matter how hard I try. You're just that useless, that much of an abomination. You ever thought somebody could, even for a moment? What arrogance, it's disgusting and embarrassing!"_ She was laughing the entire time She spoke, as though the whole idea of him thinking She could love him was hilarious. _"No, Korekiyo. I could never love you. You were right. I wanted you to experience the life that I never got. But you couldn't even do that correctly, could you?"_

"I'm not an object-"

_"Of course you are!! You're nothing better than a mindless puppet! It's all you've been for your whole life, Korekiyo. You belong to me. You are an extension of me, and you cannot do anything to change that. Just stop trying, you silly, stupid child."_

Korekiyo was hyperventilating again. Thoughts racing through his head. What does he do, what should he do, what could he do, what will he do, what will that cause, what will...

_"You're pathetic."_

...

That was it.

He couldn't handle it anymore.

It didn't matter to him any longer, he couldn't do this. Sister or no sister. He was having a full blown mental breakdown, he couldn't control his actions if he tried.

The kitchen.

The knives.

He was a tulpa. A vessel for a deceased person. The appearance had to match. His appearance was that of his sister. For her to leave, he had to ruin the vessel.

_"W-What the hell are you doing-!?"_

It was late, there would be nobody to stop him, to witness him. He stumbled down the hallway, being stopped by Her every few steps. A constant struggle for power. He reached the empty dining hall and managed to get to the kitchen where he grabbed a knife.

_"You can't just do this, you're insane!"_

He brought it to his face, where his sister slashed it across his cheek. A ripped mask fell to his neck, blood dripping onto it. He regained control.

_"You can't possibly get anywhere without me, think about what you're doing!!"_

He wiped Her lipstick off his mouth the best he could with his bandaged arm.

_"KOREKIYO!!!"_

And he cut off her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, not Her, but her! Lowercase h! As in, not important! You heard him!
> 
> This chapter is a tad short, mostly because I'm tired, but also bc it's kinda a transition chapter. Fuckin g OODBYE sister you will n o t be missed


	19. My entire life is a JoJo reference somehow I think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D a m n there was a FLOOD of comments on the last two chapters were they really that intense??????????? Shit dude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One time my little brother swallowed one of those magnetic marbles and we had to use a metal detector to see if it had passed through his digestive system for a few days
> 
> I'm ashamed to be related to him

That night was dreamless. Or at least, any dreams had were not remembered. The latter was more likely, actually, because Korekiyo woke up suddenly the next morning, breathing heavily. That doesn't normally happen if you didn't dream.

Think, think, remember... what happened last night? He couldn't recall exactly. He just knew it was important. His hair was short, it was choppy, his mask was torn and lying beside him... why was his hair short? What happened to his mask? Why couldn't he remember!?

He brought his hand to his face and felt a rough streak running down his cheek. Right, she attacked him.

She attacked him?

No, he attacked himself. Was that right? Everything was a blur. Why _was_ his hair so short?

There had been Gonta. Then they started fighting. Fighting with Gonta? No, he'd left. He was fighting with Her. No, not Her, _her._ Why was it 'her' now? Was her even a word anymore? It didn't sound like one. Why wasn't he wearing his mask? It ripped, hadn't it? No, he'd removed it. Was that right...?

He was disoriented, confused, exhausted. It was early, only 15 before 6. Morning, not night. Why would he wake up at night? That didn't make sense. But then again, nothing was really making sense now. Sister, Sister, help m-

No.

That's right, he remembered now.

Sister was gone.

It was his fault, too. She loved him and he drove her away. He was disgusting, terrible. He did something awful to her. But she'd done awful things to him, hadn't she? Yes, she didn't ever love him. She admitted that herself. But he loved her- no, he didn't. That was wrong, that was bad. He shouldn't love her. But he did, and he didn't, and that was conflicting.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths deep breaths deep breaths deep breaths stop thinking let her decide she isn't here anymore you did this you ruined everything you fixed it things will be better they'll be worse you fuckup you saved yourself you're going to die without her you're free now.

You're free now.

You're free.

Deep breaths.

Calm down, just calm down. Evaluate the situation. What happened? She lost her temper, she got upset. He defended himself. He cut his hair and threw it away. Korekiyo did. Korekiyo, he, himself. He was in control, not her. Korekiyo Shinguuji was in control of his own body, of his own mind. Deep breaths.

How the hell was he going to explain this to everybody else?

-

He was unable to fall back asleep and instead spent the rest of the morning before breakfast pacing in his room. Occasionally he'd flip open his notebook and jot something down, whether it was a recent observation to keep his mind off the present, or just him venting his thoughts.

Eventually the morning announcement played, and he went down to the dining hall. This was the first time in a while that he'd actually be on time for breakfast. In the hall he passed Kaito and Shuichi, who both gave him odd looks. Probably because of his new appearance.

He hadn't bothered to put his hat on that morning, and his uniform was lacking the majority of its usual trinkets. No chains, no pocket compass, no armband. He wasn't comfortable with leaving without a mask, however. On top of that, he had uncharacteristically poor posture and bags under his eyes.

He looked exactly like the mess he was.

When he got to the dining hall itself, he sat at the edge of the table between Gonta and the empty seat usually reserved for Kirumi. Across from him was Ouma, who snickered at his appearance, and Shuichi, who avoided eye contact. Gonta took notice after finishing his conversation with Miu, who was seated on the other side of him.

"Ah, d-did Kiyo always have his hair that short!?"

Now, in case you were unaware, talking to somebody who you recently came to the conclusion that you were in love with - no, not just a crush, but actual love - is not easy. Korekiyo was no exception to this.

"I-I haven't... I got a haircut." He choked out. He couldn't even make eye contact with him, much less hold a conversation. How pathetic.

Gonta didn't seem convinced, but nodded regardless. "Oh, ok. Gonta didn't realise there was somebody who could do that with us! Um, is Kiyo feeling better from last night?" He added quietly.

He was actually concerned with him?

"Yes, I'm doing... better."

"That's good!"

An awkward silence fell between them until Gonta shifted his attention back to Miu, who was having a heated argument with Ouma about whether Panta or Cora was the better soda brand. Personally, Kiyo preferred Cora, but he kept his opinion to himself. He wasn't in the mood to argue about something so pointless.

Kirumi came out and began serving out plates of waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, along with glasses of juice. A normally ordinary meal, but it seemed fancy and high-class just from the fact that Kirumi made it.

When Kirumi got to Korekiyo to hand him his food, she stopped and stared at him for a moment.

"Shinguuji."

"Yes, Kirumi?"

"Stay put after breakfast. I would like to have a word with you."

"Yes, Kirumi."

She continued handing out plates until she was all out, and then waited for others to finish rather than eating with them. As usual, her chair stayed empty the entire meal. Korekiyo didn't touch his food either, and gave it to Gonta instead. He appreciated it more, anyways.

-

Everybody put their dishes into a pile which Kirumi brought to the kitchen to be cleaned later. As everyone filed out, Kiyo stayed put, as was Kirumi's request/order. Along with him remained Miu and Tsumugi, likely called back because of their recent affiliation with him. Miu pouted, still unaware of Korekiyo's changes, while Tsumugi glanced back and forth between him and the kitchen anxiously.

After a few minutes of waiting, Kirumi stepped out and joined the two girls. She motioned for Korekiyo to come over as well.

That was when Miu finally noticed.

"Holy shit, Kiyo, what happened to you??"

"Shinguuji," Kirumi asked sternly, "what did you do? You seem to have been causing quite a lot of harm to yourself lately. Please, just tell us."

"I can assure you, it's nothing worth your concern." He didn't sound terribly convincing while saying that.

"Oh yeah, sure, 'uhuhuhu, I can ASSURE you that I've got my head up my ASS!' Don't give us that dumb bullshit, you virgin. What actually happened?"

"I just felt it was time for a change of appearance."

Tsumugi stepped forward. "Kiyo, this is serious... you aren't the type of person to be content with such a plainly messy look. Your hair is uneven, your odd accessories are gone, your hat is nowhere to be found... and you look absolutely exhausted, too!"

"I'm just fine. As I keep telling you, I just felt-"

"No, Shinguuji, that isn't it! Just stop lying already!"

Surprisingly, the outburst belonged to Kirumi, who immediately regained her momentarily lost composure.

"I apologize, but... it's unacceptable for you to hide this any longer. It was wrong for me to believe you could handle this on your own. Again, I apologize. Shinguuji..."

He took a deep breath. Calm down.

"...please, show them your arms."

Miu and Tsumugi turned their attention from Kirumi to him. Their expressions were almost unreadable, but seemed to fall somewhere between 'what the hell is she talking about' and 'I know exactly what she's talking about but please please don't let it be true I don't want to deal with this'.

But it was Kirumi's orders, so he showed them.

Kirumi looked away, Tsumugi covered her mouth, and Miu groaned.

"Dammit Kiyo, why'd it have to be _that?_ Shit, I kinda suspected it last night, and I was gonna ask Kirumi today... but it's actually true? I can't even come up with anything fun to say for this..."

Tsumugi was much more concerned. "Kiyo, oh my god, why didn't you tell us?? I-I'm sure there's some way we could have helped, how long have you...? No, that's not important, uh, when did you do it last? Do you still do it? Kiyo, please just... just tell us about things like this, it's really bad, and-"

"Hey, if you wanted, I could probably whip up some sorta invention to get rid of those scars. Would... would that make it better? At all...?? Or, or, something that shocks you if something sharp touches your arms, but not badly, or-"

"Is it somebody in the school? Is there somebody you don't get along with that badly? Or, a traumatic past? We could get some sort of therapy group, or-"

"Both of you, calm down." Kirumi stopped both of them in the middle of their panicked rambling. "Shinguuji, please explain. You cannot get better if you don't tell us why this is happening." Her voice wavered a bit as she said that, but her expression remained collected. If only Korekiyo could be the same.

"..."

"Now, Shinguuji."

And so he told them the whole story. (Leaving out him murdering almost 100 girls, of course.)

-

"You..." Miu stuttered, shocked. "Y-Your sister...!?"

"Your sister POSSESSED you?!?" Tsumugi finished for her.

"Technically speaking, I was acting as a tulpa for her. But yes."

"A-And you and that crazy bitch were, like, a-a thing...?"

"That... is something I'd prefer to forget."

Kirumi stepped in, preventing any of the three from making additional comments. "He clearly regrets his decisions. And besides, it's not as though he had much of a choice in the matter. She's gone, so we should focus on some sort of therapy for him, if possible."

"I don't believe therapy is necessary."

She turned towards Korekiyo and gave him a scarily stubborn look. "Given your injuries and the way you described your relationship with her, it seems more than necessary to me." The other two girls nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Miu started, "we don't want you goin batshit crazy over some fucked up sister and then killing somebody!"

"..."

"While I'd have worded it differently, Miu is right." It was Tsumugi speaking now. "If things were as bad as you say they were, then you're probably mentally unstable... therapy is plainly something you need."

"Whaddya mean, worded differently? The way I said it was perfect! But back to the point, we can give you all the 'mental healing' you need, can't we? It won't be as bad as you think it will be!"

No, he thought, it definitely would be if she was going to be helping.

"Miu and Tsumugi are correct. There is no need to make this public, so don't concern yourself with that issue. We can keep this between ourselves."

Well... they certainly had the abilities to do it properly, but the personalities might clash. It could be worth a try...

"Hey, folktale bitch, you don't have any choice in the matter! This is absolutely mandatory for you, got it?"

Oh, yeah. Even when he had gotten rid of his sister, he wasn't completely free. There was still the matter of these three, who seemed hellbent on involving him in all of their different 'events'.

Tsumugi shifted a bit. "Um... if it's alright with you, Kiyo, I could fix your hair. It's uneven, and it's... kind of bugging me, to be plainly honest."

"Well, when you cut it with a knife in the middle of a mental breakdown, that's bound to happen." Korekiyo replied. "But, if you insist on fixing it, I will allow it."

"Alright then, do you mind if we do that now? I can't bear to see it like that any longer. Ah, just so you know, I'm used to cutting wigs, not actual hair. So, it might not look perfect... it will be better than it is now, though!"

Before he had a chance to reply, she grabbed him by the arm (ow) and began dragging him to her lab. All the way near the top of the school. At the top of a lot of stairs.

As if he wasn't disoriented and exhausted enough as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be m u c h more Gonta next chapter don't worry, we're still in sort of a transition-esque state in order to get to the next part of the story (AKA Kiyo gets terrible but well meaning therapy and gets flustered in front of Gonta a lot)


	20. Did you know that frosted flakes traced total drama characters for its boxart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoooooaaaahhhh  
> 20 chapters, 100 kudos, 30k words, and 1500 reads????? N I C E  
> There's also like 70 comments and that's so many????? ESPECIALLY considering the fact that this is a rarepair
> 
> T h a n k y o u

"...aaaaand done!"

Tsumugi snipped the last bit of uneven hair off and then stood back to admire her work. "Hmm... well, I'd say it could be better, but it's definitely a huge improvement from what YOU did to it!" She reached for a nearby hand mirror and held it up in front of Korekiyo so he could see.

"So? What do you think?"

His hair was nowhere near as long as it had previously been. This was his first time getting a good look at it, and it was... vastly different. The hair that had previously reached the end of his back now went just past his chin. He turned his head sideways to get a view of the other angles. It was a flat, even cut, just like before.

"It looks wonderful. Thank you for the help, Tsumugi."

"Y'know," she began, "If you wanted an even bigger change, we could dye it, or I could give you layers! I have hair gel too, and we could style it differently, or-"

"I appreciate the offer, but I think the way it is now suits me best." The huge change in hair quantity was enough as it was. Anything else might keep people from even recognising him.

Miu (Who had been standing to the side making inappropriate remarks throughout the whole haircut) spoke up next. "Hey, I got an even better idea! I could have your head entirely and give you a mechanical wig instead, and each strand could be used for-"

"No," the other two said unanimously.

"...tch, you pussies don't know what a good time is."

The anthropologist stood up, ready to take his leave before things got even more chaotic. It wasn't even 9:30 yet, he didn't want to deal with this so early in the day. Predictably, Miu stopped him.

"Hey hey hey, you don't get to leave yet."

"Are you going to prevent me from leaving _every time I attempt to do so?_ "

"Yep. Anyways, we gotta get two events planned for tonight; the date thing, and your first therapy sesh'."

"Wait, wait, wait. You're so convinced that I need therapy, yet are going to make me continue this ridiculous dating thing?"

"Well..."

"Well?"

Miu looked away and scowled. "This isn't permanent, but I'm gonna let you off the hook for a little while. Only temporarily though, got it, dumbass? Your blackmail is NOT gonna be rendered void so soon." She laughed quietly, then ended with "I'm just starting to have fun with it!"

Miu, the 'Beautiful Girl Genius', was letting him off the hook, huh?

"...if you say so, Miu. I am not opposed."

"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut..."

Of course there was a catch.

"...if you want me to let you go, you have to do a few things for me and little miss cosbitch over here, k?"

"Why are you referring to me as cosbitch-"

"First, you get to pick where you want to meet tonight for therapy, k? I get to choose the time, though."

That was a simple enough question. "My lab seems like the most obvious answer." Really, what else did she expect? Well, the library could have been a good choice, too. But Kiyo's lab was better.

"Man, you're really fuckin attached to that place aren't ya? I wonder if you've ever gotten intimate with any of the artifacts in the- OW!" Miu rubbed her arm where Tsumugi had just hit. The aforementioned cosplayer glared at her, clearly not having any of her lewd comments. The interaction would have been humorous, had the subject of her joke not been a room filled with priceless knowledge and artifacts.

"Anyways," Miu continued, "You picked the room, so I get to pick the time. Hmm... I have an invention I've gotta work on for Ouma for a while, and then there's the 'nightly event' with Shitmugi... how about 4:30? No, no, 4:20, if only for the joke! Gyahaha!!"

"Alright, then I'll meet you there at... that time. Just know that I do not approve of this idea, Miu."

"Pshh, as if I asked for your opinion. And one last thing; how hot did it get last night with you and your beloved Gonta~?"

_"I have told you before, I do not have feelings for Gonta."_ he lied.

Well, it was a partial lie, anyways. He didn't when it all started (probably). Now was a different story, however.

"Holy shit, are you BLUSHING?"

...blushing?

"No." Yes, denial would work. He wasn't blushing. Korekiyo Shinguuji did not get flustered, he did not blush. He wasn't quick to give away things such as that. He-

He was...

...staring at himself in a mirror, face beat red, with Miu smirking and Tsumugi looking at him excitedly. This was not how it was supposed to go. How what was supposed to go, exactly? Was anything ever supposed to go _anywhere?_ Theoretically, he could just keep it to himself until the attraction blew over. It couldn't be that hard. Nobody ever had to find out. As previously stated, nothing ever had to go anywhere. So why was he blushing in embarrassment at the accusation of him being in love with Gonta? Had he not been wearing his mask, Kiyo's mouth would surely be wide open in horror and shock.

"God, would you two just fuck already?"

Thankfully, Tsumugi stepped in to save him. "Miu, stop saying such lewd things... though I personally believe otherwise, I think we should listen to what Kiyo says. If he isn't comfortable with this just yet, we should back off and let him work at his own pace."

Well, she had been partially helpful, at least. She missed the point in the end though.

"Fine, whatever. But, you'd fuckin better take my advice and use my inventions once you hook up good and proper, ya hear? I don't make this great shit for nothin!" Miu laughed while Tsumugi grimaced and Korekiyo glared. (She... had good intentions. Possibly.)

"That will not be necessary. And I'd prefer if you kept such disgusting remarks to yourself."

"Hey, I never said they were _those_ kinda inventions...!"

"You never specified that they were not, either."

"Jesus man, WHATEVER. I keep sayin this, but you guys are absolutely NO fun." Miu pouted.

"Um... well, Kiyo, I think it's safe to say that this is all settled now. You can leave if you want."

"Then I shall take my leave." He left, this time unobstructed by Miu, who he heard whining for a drink from Tsumugi's bar as he head out. He had the earlier part of the day to himself, and he planned to make use of his freedom before he would be undoubtedly dragged to his "therapy session". He shivered at the thought of Miu of all people trying to help him... would she actually try? It was unlikely.

Korekiyo was lost in thought as he descended the stairs. So lost in thought, in fact, that he didn't notice Gonta in front of him and ran into his back face-first, causing Kiyo to fall to the floor. Great, Gonta. Just the person he wanted to see.

(That was sarcasm.)

"Oh, sorry Kiyo! Gonta didn't realise he was in your way. Do you need help getting up?" Gonta reached down to Kiyo and grabbed his hand, then pulled him back up to his feet.

Even though his hands were bandaged, Kiyo couldn't help but notice how gentle and soft Gonta's hands were. Gonta seemed to be holding in his strength, too. He actually didn't crush his hand for once.

"Its not a p-problem. I-I wasn't watching where I was going, so..."

"No, no, Kiyo shouldn't worry! Gonta will take the blame! But, is Kiyo ok? You fell kinda hard, and your face is red. Is Kiyo sick?"

_Again??_

Without warning, Gonta put the back of his hand on Kiyo's forehead to check for a fever. Korekiyo couldn't even speak. This was wrong, this was wrong, this was wrong, no no no no no no no no no no. This was not him. He was all of a sudden acting like some lovesick schoolgirl, and all because his sister wasn't there? No, that wasn't the only reason... but this still _wasn't Korekiyo._

"K-Kiyo, you're burning up! Uh, follow Gonta, he can get you help, somehow...!"

...not the old Korekiyo, at least. Maybe this wasn't so bad... no, what was he even thinking? This type of behaviour went against everything he was as a person. Didn't it?

...though, when he really thought about it, all of what he used to be... was what his sister had made him out to be.

She picked his clothes.

She influenced his interests.

She planned his schedule.

She took up his free time.

She was his entire life.

No, she CREATED his entire life. What even was he without her? She was gone, and with her went everything she had brought to Korekiyo. Having chased her away, he couldn't keep all that she had taught him in good conscience... but that meant anthropology, and his way of thinking... everything about him had revolved around her. How could he...?

He suddenly jolted back to reality to find himself being dragged around the school by Gonta. He had agreed to go with him? When? Gonta brought him to the dining hall and immediately called for Kirumi once they were inside. Kiyo was too focused on Gonta's face to really pay attention to anything else. It was very well defined, and had messy curls of hair sticking out in random places, covering parts of it. His glasses have him a certain air of sophistication. A surprisingly small nose, fierce yet gentle red eyes, fluffy green hair...

"Shinguuji... Shinguuji, hello?"

His eyes were certainly striking. They were very wide and round, giving him an innocent look that contrasted with the rest of his appearance. The red colour of the irises were extremely prominent and were the first things practically everybody noticed about him.

"Shinguuji!"

His hair was worthy of an entire book describing how great it was. It was soft, long, messy, and perfect. You could b-

_"SHINGUUJI!!"_

"...hmm? Oh, Kirumi. Hello, do you wish to ask me something?"

"Yes. Gonta brought you here and told me that you seemed ill, and I am going to have to agree with him. You didn't notice me for quite a while, despite me being right in front of you and feeling your forehead. Which, I might add, is too warm to be healthy."

"Wait, I'm ill?"

"Come with me, Shinguuji." Gonta passed Kiyo onto Kirumi and waited in the dining hall as she brought the anthropologist to the kitchen. The moment Gonta was out of sight, she dropped her act.

"I know you aren't sick, Shinguuji. You do know that staring at somebody does no good for your case, yes?" Korekiyo was only confused.

"My 'case'? Please elaborate, as I am rather lost."

"I'm not stupid. If you like him that much, tell him."

Oh.

This seemed to bring Korekiyo back down quite a bit. He stepped back. "Kirumi, I am appalled! To think that you would think these things of me-"

"It is more than a silly guess. Do you really expect me to believe that somebody would stare at somebody in such a manner if they had absolutely no feelings towards them?"

"..."

"I cannot force you to do anything, Shinguuji, but please at least consider my advice." She began to walk towards the door to leave, but stopped for a moment and put her hand on her shoulder. "You have my support." With that, she gave a small smile and left.

-

After reassuring Gonta that he was feeling better, the two walked out together. Gonta decided that it had been a while since they'd been to his lab, and wanted to bring Kiyo to visit the bugs.

"Kiyo, Gonta was wondering about something... and wanted your advice."

"What would you like to ask?"

Gonta paused for a second before continuing. "Gonta's insect friends seem so cramped in their tiny cages. Gonta's lab is big, but it's not the same as a natural world for bugs! So, do you think Gonta should bring bugs to courtyard?"

"Wouldn't they fly away? You may lose your various specimens."

Gonta ran out in front of Korekiyo and stopped him in excitement. "But that's not a problem, because Gonta can talk to bugs and animal! Remember? Forest family teach Gonta!"

"Yes, I do vaguely recall you speaking of that. If that is the case then what is preventing you from doing so?"

"What it there's somebody here who... doesn't like bugs? And then Gonta's bugs get hurt real bad by them!" He waved his arms for emphasis on... well, something.

"You can protect them, can you not?" He was certainly strong enough to do so.

"Gonta not sure if just Gonta can protect all bugs. Um, will Kiyo help?"

Protecting bugs... no thanks.

"Yes, gladly."

Why the fuck did he say that? He hates bugs. He'd rather die than 'protect' a swarm of them. But it would be helping Gonta, wouldn't it? He was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. He was doing the sparkly-eyed thing. The _thing._

"Thank you, Kiyo! Gonta's bug friends will be so so happy!!"

And so, they resumed their journey to the Ultimate Entomologists' lab to free the bugs. Temporarily, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I MISSED A DAY SORRY I WAS EXHAUSTED LAST NIGHT
> 
> IM TIRED TONIGHT TOO SO PLEASE EXCUSE ANY TYPOS CUZ I DID NOT PROOFREAD HHH


	21. Kms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sick again r i p  
> I love winter but surprisingly I do not enjoy feeling like I am on the brink of death every second of my life  
> Cold weather tends to give you that feeling
> 
> Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Korekiyo isn't even my favourite character. Or my second favourite. He's my third favourite, right behind Hoshi and Teruteru, with Teruteru being my Ultimate Fave™. Why am I cursed to love the most hated characters that get next to no content. Why.
> 
> I revisited the Best Boy's FTE's again and........... my chef son doesn't deserve this hate he's trying his best

"WHAT THE HELL!?!"

The courtyard was quite the sight to behold. Gonta apparently didn't mean he was going to bring out a few beetles, or maybe a couple moths. No.

He let every bug out at once.

They were swarming and buzzing all around. The entomologist definitely wasn't lying when he claimed he could communicate with them; not a single bug attacked another, and not a single bug tried to escape. Every one seemed remarkably well behaved, but it was all possible only because of Gonta. He truly was amazing.

Their other classmates were not so impressed, however. Gonta knew that some bugs didn't like each other, and that was fine with him. But a PERSON not liking bugs? Absolutely unacceptable. If you got swarmed by them, you weren't getting any help. So, of you happened to be unlucky enough to walk outside out of curiosity...

"Gonta, seriously, what the hell is all of this??" The panicked yell came from the doorway to the lobby. Kaito and Himiko were standing there looking awestruck and horrified at the same time. Gonta didn't seem to notice their presence as he was busy making sure all the insects were getting along, so Korekiyo had to speak up.

"You see," he half-spoke-half-yelled (Buzzing bugs can be very very loud), "Gonta thought it would be beneficial to his insects if they had more space to fly around."

Himiko stepped outside the doorway, only to immediately rush back in as a swarm of bees flew by her face. "W-Well, when is he putting them back?? They might hurt us!"

That was certainly a realistic worry. Many of the bugs flying/crawling about freely had stingers, or were poisonous in some way. Being outside wasn't safe; The only reason Korekiyo wasn't worried despite him lacking a safety suit was because he trusted Gonta enough. He'd be able to keep one person safe for sure, but if everyone was out here...

Kiyo glanced behind him at the writhing pile of beetles covering what used to be Kaede. Well, technically she was still alive, but she'd likely be a changed woman when she was freed. "Ah, I am unsure as to how long Gonta plans to keep them out here. They've only been out a short while, so you may have to wait a bit." The two groaned in response to hearing this and went back inside. Kaito gave a lovely gesture on his way in, as a parting gift.

When _was_ Gonta planning on ending all this? The bugs were only outside to stretch a bit, weren't they? They were only bugs. Their lifespans are so short and their sentience so thin that it won't even matter to them. It made Gonta happy, yes, but it was also terrorising all their other classmates. That... probably wasn't a desirable outcome.

So Korekiyo went to ask Gonta to bring the bugs back.

"Eh? But bugs still cramped from the tiny containers! They can't just go back in already!"

"Gonta, it's been almost 20 minutes. I'm sure they're fine. Are the bugs telling you otherwise?"

"Yes, bugs say their heads hurt from flying into their container walls so much. They like it out here much better! Kiyo, don't you-"

"..."

"...oh, yeah."

It only then clicked that Kiyo did not like bugs. He'd been here for this long, so he was clearly making the effort, but too much is too much. Gonta wouldn't do it for anybody else, since Korekiyo is the 'only exception' to his rule of not liking bugs meaning you're a bad person. Kiyo was a good person, Gonta knew this!

"Ok bugs, time to go back! Gonta can bring you all back out soon, alright?" Gonta shouted as he walked over to the doors and held them open. As ordered, the bugs flew back into the building (Much to the surprise of Himiko, Kaito, and any other unlucky soul standing near the door) and down to Gonta's lab. It was supernatural the way Gonta could command them.

No, he didn't command them. He saw them as equals, like he did with everyone. He got to know them, treated then with respect despite their reputation, and they just listened to him when he asked politely.

In fact, the situation bore a striking resemblance to the one Korekiyo was in now.

Gonta waved goodbye as he followed them. Korekiyo would have stayed with him longer, but that would directly conflict with his goal of forgetting about Gonta. He didn't want to forget him entirely, just... in _that_ way. He had to limit their contact to an absolute minimum. Extreme? Yes. Effective? Also yes.

-

The day was uneventful and boring. Korekiyo predictably got many questions about his new appearance and the bugs while he travelled the halls, until he decided he was sick of them and retired to his lab. You can only handle so many questions along the lines of "When did you cut your hair?" and "Why were you with Gonta earlier today?" before they grow repetitive. Word of mouth is a powerful thing; he shouldn't have to tell everybody himself. Eventually, it was 4:20 (Or as Miu calls it, "weed time," which is immature) and the trio of girls who had been relentlessly harassing him for the past few days walked in, ready to start his "therapy" session.

It started out innocent enough. Tsumugi making pointless comments, Kirumi prodding him about his sister and harmful habits, and Miu spitting out lewd remarks were all to be expected.

"Shinguuji, if you ever feel the need to harm yourself, let me know. I can bring you some sort of harmless replacement."

"Hey, Kinkykiyo, did you and that bitch ever fuck?"

"We're here if you need to talk, Kiyo..."

"I can make no promises as to whether I will always be available or not, but if you need any sort of favour, I insist you ask me. I will do my best to ensure you remain comfortable."

"If you beg, I might make you a little somethin to help with your 'emotional distress' or whatever. I'm REAL good at making distracting shit, if you get what I'm saying~"

"Miu, now isn't a very good time for that..."

"We should set up some sort of plan to get over any lingering bad memories of her. If we stick to a strict schedule, you will heal faster."

"It'd totally be worth the begging, man! Drop to your hands and knees! I'll give it ten different speeds, and some rubber spikes for a nice texture if you ask extra nicely!"

"Since when were you dominant?"

Nod for Kirumi, deny all of Miu's offers and theories, ignore Tsumugi. Make plans to ditch Kirumi, make plans to kill Miu, make plans to give Tsumugi a more interesting personality and stronger presence. Block them out, this is pointless, he didn't need and sort of "healing" or "fixing" because he could deal with this on his own. Avoiding all people would be the best course of action for him right now, and the second he was able to, he'd lock himself in his room and barricade it this time. Even if Ouma picked the lock the door would be blocked. Flawless.

"...and as an extra precautionary measure, we will be giving you a roommate for tonight."

"Mmhm- wait, a what?" A roommate? No, absolutely not. As much as Korekiyo loves studying people and their cultures and habits, he definitely did not appreciate the idea of others observing him. No roommates allowed.

"You seem to have a certain liking for Gonta, so I will ask him to stay with you tonight."

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no not him.

Miu came in with "Gonta? Shit, that'll get hot and steamy, I bet! Nice goin, Shitguuji!!"

_No._

"Iruma, please refrain from making any other suggestive comments." Thank you, Kirumi.

"I trust that Gonta will reject any advances that could lead to that. He's far too innocent, it would take much more time." _No, Kirumi._

"Kirumi, what are you talking about-!?" Kirumi cut Kiyo off with a laugh.

Oh, she had been joking. Good.

"Don't worry, Shinguuji. I was merely kidding. Neither of you are that type, I know that. However, I still must insist that he stays with you overnight. Your injuries always occur at night, yes? If you get any other sort of episodes, I'd prefer you not be alone and be able to cause permanent damage."

She made a good point, but... why did it have to be Gonta??

When he asked, Tsumugi responded. "Well, it's plainly unacceptable to have a boy and girl share a room overnight, and you don't seem to get along very well with any of the other boys. Gonta is really the only choice, isn't he? And you like him, don't you? It should be something you look forward to, right?"

"I _don't like Gonta that way,_ I've repeated this to you all _many times._ "

Silence.

Then an uproar of laughter.

"Pfffft, as if you expect us to believe some bullshit like that! C'mon, just fuckin admit it already, dickshit! You TOTALLY wanna bone the bug lord! Gyahahaha!"

"You still won't admit it, Kiyo? But it's as obvious as the twist of the video game junkie being part of a video game herself from that one murder/harem anime!"

"I apologize, Shinguuji, but... it's absurd that you still refuse to say it, when we all know...!"

"..."

"Are you all finished yet?"

Slowly, the girls calmed down. "Shit dude, you shoulda seen your fuckin face."

" _Ahem._ Anyways, resuming the previous topic. Shinguuji, you will be having Gonta as a roommate tonight. There will be no excuses. I have asked him already and explained to him that you need supervision, and he agreed. Ah, don't worry, I didn't explain the entire situation to him. I believe you should do that personally."

Greeeeeeeaaaaaat. She'd already made arrangements. Hurray. Once again, he had no choice in the matter, just like everything else in his life.

"Kiyo, why do you look so upset? There's really nothing to be ashamed of. Boys love is-"

"It isn't love."

"...anyways, there's nothing to be scared of-"

"I am not afraid of anything."

"Please, Kiyo, just let me fin-"

"Fuckin hell, Kinky, let the girl speak, would ya?"

"..."

"Alright Fuckmugi, continue."

"... _anyways._ Kiyo, I'm sorry if us laughing upset you, but there honestly is no reason to be. We were plainly joking, ok?" She smiled innocently, before donning a more... terrifying expression.

"You really should do this, Kiyo. It would make your life more exciting. Boredom is a terrible thing for everybody, you know."

The others stared at her in awe, shocked at the sudden change of personality. Tsumugi noticed after a moment and switched back to her usual, plain expression. "Ah, sorry. I get a little intense like that sometimes. I'm sort of jealous is all, I think... Kiyo, Gonta's a really great guy. It's great that you like each other so much, especially considering our current situation." She was referring to the killing game, of course. "For you to be able to develop such a deep bond... You should be happier about it. This is a good opportunity for you."

Korekiyo was prepared to deny his feelings until the end of time. He couldn't, he shouldn't, and he wouldn't. He definitely wouldn't admit it or embrace it.

"Shinguuji, please work with us. Unless you wish to be stuck with somebody you don't like, I recommend you just do this.

No.

"...okay."

Why did he say that.

"Oh thank fucking god, I thought were gonna be stuck here with you all goddamn night because you couldn't handle being in the same room as the guy you wanna fuck for a little sleepover." Miu whined, dramatically yawning and stretching. "Anyways, I gotta go deal with the other shit for tonight's lucky fuckbuddies. So then, I'll be going now!"

Miu wasted no time leaving the lab, leaving the other three behind. "Well," Tsumugi said, "I should probably go and keep an eye on her. She invited Ouma to help tonight in place of you, so this will probably be... hellish." She shivered for emphasis.

"Hmm, that will certainly be chaotic. Might I ask who you two will be 'helping' tonight, and why Miu asked Ouma of all people?"

"Well, Ouma had figured out what we were doing, and she didn't want any more people to find out than necessary. As for the pair of the night, it's Kaito and Maki again. Were going to try a more natural approach, rather than something forced like last time. And no food will be prepared at all, either."

"It's for the best."

"Haha, yeah... um, wish me luck. I'm going to need plenty of it tonight, between the hostile couple and my insane teammates." She rushed out the door, trying to catch up to Miu before she could do anything bad. Kirumi stood up and followed shortly after.

"Well, at least I'll have a more peaceful night than them..."

-

Just like the earlier part of his day, the end was dull and uneventful. Korekiyo read, read some more, and then read even more just for fun. Though, reading may be the wrong term... in reality he was just glossing over the words of an open book. He wasn't really processing any of the information, and instantly forgot everything. The pictures and illustrations were pretty for a moment, and the words were hypnotizing mazes that were navigated seamlessly.

Kiyo's thoughts were focused on another topic entirely: Gonta. Though, this should come as no surprise. The gentle giant had been dominating his mind for a while now. Recently, however, said thoughts were more _concerning._

_What if Gonta and I actually became a couple, would he be able to tolerate me that much? How far would it go? No, none of those ideas are worth exploring. I can't feel this way towards him. I can't, I shouldn't be thinking this way... but what if? What if he actually felt the same? What do I mean, the same? I don't feel anything towards him. I don't, I obviously don't. He does feel the same, because I feel neutral towards him. Then why do I become even more of a mess around him? What would it be like to- no no no, no. No. Not that. Bad thoughts._

It was a bit of a battle. He couldn't feel this way, but he did. What good would come of this? Everything was great when Kiyo was around him. It was a mistake, everything was a mistake. It was so right, like this is what was meant to happen from the start. In the end, frustration was all Kiyo felt, rather than any sort of closure or revelation.

He trudged back to his room once the nighttime announcement came on, too tired to do much other than lay in his bed. Changing clothes is much easier when you don't have to remove a million accessories, he noticed. After changing, he let himself fall back onto his bed. He reached for his notebook to write down today's observations, having forgotten about his planned guest for the night.

That is, until he was interrupted by knocking at his door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teru! Teruteru! Teru! Teruteru! Hana…Hanama….Hana, Hana, Hanamura. Teru! Teruteru! Teru! Teruteru! Hana…Hanama….Hana, Hana, Hanamura. Teru! Teru! Teruteru! Hana…Hanamura! Hanamura! Hanamura! He’s a cook. He’s a cooooook. He’s a cook, cook, cook. Hanamura! Teru! Teruteru! Teru! Teruteru! Teru. Teru. Teruteru! Teru. Teru. He’s the cook. He’s the cook at the Super High School Level. Cook! Cook! He’s a cook. Cook! Cook! Cook! Cook! Cook! It’s Teru! Teruteru! Teru! Teruteru! Hanamura! Hanamura! High School Level Cook! Cook! Cook! Cook! Cook! Cook! He’s kinda plump, plump and round. Flirts with everyone. (guys and girls) (guys and girls) (guys and girls) He flirts with them all. Flirts with them all. And he loves his mom! Mom! Mom, happy mommy’s day. Teru! Teruteru! Teru! Teruteru! Hanamura! Hanamura! He’s Super High School Level Cook! He’s the cook at Dangan Ronpa! Super Dangan Ronpa 2! Goodbye, goodbye, despair academy! Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye to despair! Des-des-despair academy! Academy on a tropical island. On a tropical island. Trop-trop-tropical island of hope and despair! Hope and despair, it’s Teruteru Hanamura. Hanamura. The cook at Super High School Level! Cook, cook, calls himself a chef. Cook, cook, calls himself a chef. At the highschool, at the highschool, super highschool, super highschool. Super Dangan Ronpa 2! 2! 2! 2! 2! It’s Teruteru Hanamura! Hanamura, he’s a cook. He’s a chef. He’s a cook who calls himself a chef. Chef, at the Super Highschool Level. Level! Level! Level! It’s Teruteru, Teruteru, Hanamuru. Teratera Hanamuru. He’s the cook, the cook, at the Super Highschool, Super Highschool, Super Highschool.
> 
> Next chapter will probably be a bit short :0


	22. I'm dying squirtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's up I just spent the last hour of my life watching a Brazilian animation from like 1990something about gay cowboys and it was the most surreal experience on fucking earth

Let's start this chapter off with a hypothetical scenario: You recently and begrudgingly have come to the conclusion that you have a crush on this one particular person. Now, say a "friend" has forced you to spend an entire night with said particular person. Alone. And their job is to make sure you don't hurt yourself. This is all hypothetical, of course. Now let's pretend that you want this all to end. More than anything else, you want to push them out of the picture entirely, and maybe jump off a building and die yourself. But you can't. You're trapped here with them 3 feet away from you, and you're staring at each other in an awkward silence. You can't concentrate, and you have no idea what to do.

What _do_ you do?

The correct answer, apparently, is to sit there like an idiot until they speak up first (probably out of pity).

"So Kiyo, um... can Gonta know why you look... so different?"

Korekiyo paused, wondering how he should answer that. Obviously he couldn't be 100% honest, Gonta might panic or think he's insane. Maybe both. But lying to Gonta just... wasn't right. It was the moral equivalent of kicking a puppy. Gonta trusted him, which apparently was quite the feat, and Korekiyo was not going to break that trust. So, he settled on a not-sharing-all-the-info type approach.

"I was feeling unwell and thought a new appearance might help."

Hey, TECHNICALLY it was true. Yes, there was much more to it than that, but the point is that he didn't lie.

"Oh, Gonta see. But why did Kirumi ask Gonta to keep watch in case Kiyo tries anything bad?"

Oh, "in case Kiyo tries anything BAD"? Korekiyo shook his head a bit, disappointed in Kirumi while also impressed by her. She certainly knew how to put people in situations where they had to tell the truth.

"Kirumi has simply been suspicious of me lately, though I'm unsure why. It's unimportant."

"Oh, ok."

More silence.

"Gonta, did your bugs enjoy the exercise they got today?"

"Yeah, they did."

Even more terrible, unbearable silence. The need for some sort of conversation was intense, and the room felt heavy with pressure.

"...I suppose we should make sleeping arrangements for the night, as there is only one bed." No way in hell was Korekiyo spending the entire night pressed up against Gonta. There wasn't enough room for him to get the space he wanted. Did he really want it, though? Yes, of course he did. That wasn't up for debate.

"If it's ok with Kiyo, Gonta doesn't mind sharing the bed!"

"It's fine with me."

_Why couldn't he keep his goddamn mouth shut._

-

After a few more failed attempts at conversing, they both got under the covers. Gonta fell asleep in seconds, but Kiyo was having a much harder time falling asleep. Gonta was a quiet sleeper, not making much noise at all. However, the fact that it was Gonta sleeping right next to him kept Kiyo awake for a long time. Gonta, the very person who (as far as Kiyo was concerned) made life so great. Absolutely perfect. Sweet, gentle, loving, and sleeping directly to the left of him. Backs pressed against each other. Also, Gonta was a restless sleeper. That was another reason Kiyo had a hard time sleeping that night.

He was quiet, but he was shifting constantly. Seconds ago they had their backs together, now Gonta's arm was flung over Kiyo and strangling him, and in a moment Gonta will kick him.

_"...guh!"_

Called it.

After what was probably a few years, Korekiyo fell asleep. He had a nice, peaceful dream. The sky was blue, there were no clouds in sight. He and some old classmates were on a picnic. Everybody was happy, laughing at dumb jokes, walking around and surveying the area they had hiked to.

And then the sky turned blood pink.

While everybody else had been running around and causing chaos, Kiyo had been lying on his back and staring at the sky. Because of this, he was the first to notice.

"What the... hey, are you all seeing this-"

He sat up and looked over at where everybody should have been, but they'd disappeared. Panicked and confused, Korekiyo began searching the surrounding area, calling for them.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

"Where did everyone go?"

"What's going on with the sky?"

"You guys are just playing some stupid prank, right?"

Wandering, wandering, wandering. He wandered into the forest, he found a stream, he followed said stream. He became lost. Korekiyo, lost, alone. The stream turned pink, pink with blood.

He found the source of the blood.

His new classmates, the ones forced into the killing game. They were all standing around a small pond from which the stream came. Each one held the head of an old classmate, letting the blood drip into the water. Blank looks on everyone's faces.

At the opposite side of the pond was Gonta. Unlike everybody else, he was holding nothing. He looked scared, concerned. His mouth moved but nothing came out, and Korekiyo got the same result when he tried to speak. Neither could say a word, they were so far away.

In front of Gonta, a pillar of mist began to form. It took the shape of a girl- no, a woman- with long dark hair and a beautiful face. A beautiful, horrid, terrifying face that Korekiyo never wanted to see again. But he couldn't look away, or even move.

_"My sweet Korekiyo..."_

The living students dropped the heads and they sank, old students replaced by new ones. None of the old students recognizable, the new ones slowly becoming more distorted. Who was real? Were either real at all? The woman was gliding across the water elegantly, like something from a horror movie, coming closer to Korekiyo. A knife materialized in her hand, now outstretched and pointed at him. A real knife, not made of mist. Solid, something he could feel. Gonta could be heard in the background now, but everything was gibberish. Korekiyo would never be able to understand anything about him.

The knife rammed into Korekiyo's neck.

And he woke up shaking.

She's gone, she's not coming back. It was a dream. She's not here. Why did he get rid of her? Because he had to. Why did he have to? She hurt him. Didn't he deserve it? The knife was painful. The knife was a punishment. A bad punishment. A deserved punishment. Don't take it, drop it, this isn't ok. It's right there, in the drawer, brought back here from when you sent her away. The very knife he cut his hair with, it was ironic. It was revenge. Don't do it. It's in your hand now, close to your skin, just one little cut. Please, no.

"Kiyo?"

Kiyo hadn't noticed, but he must have woken Gonta up somehow. He was propped up on his arm, looking over at him.

"Kiyo, why do you have a knife?

"What knife?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Gonta seemed to put two and two together, and his confused expression contorted into one of understanding and then terror. He grabbed the blade from Korekiyo's hand and tossed it on the floor behind him.

"Y-You can't do that! Why did Kiyo want to... to hurt himself??"

Korekiyo just looked at him, puzzled. He'd never had anybody actively try to stop him before. Not that anybody knew until recently, obviously, but it was still shocking. Gonta had just taken the blade from him and gotten rid of it without a second thought. Oh, Gonta was starting to cry. Was he really worth crying over?

"Kiyo, please answer Gonta!"

Oh right, the question. "You're misunderstanding. I was just trying to loosen my sleeves a bit, they don't fit very wel-"

_"Honestly!!"_

Gonta was naive, but it didn't take a genius to see past a lie as blatant as that. "I was acting in my sleep."

Gonta stared at him.

"...fine. If you insist on knowing the truth so much, I will tell you what you wish to know. It's... because of my sister."

Leaving out the parts where he was in a relationship her, where he murdered almost a hundred girls, and where she was a ghost who used his body as a vessel up until recently, he told Gonta about how his sister had taught him to punish himself so other people didn't have to. Hopefully he didn't freak out over this.

"B-B-But Kiyo doesn't have anything to b-be punished for... Kiyo is a g-good person, shouldn't h-hurt himself!!" He said between sobs.

So much for not freaking out.

"I was acting on instinct, there's no reason to get so worked up. I just had a bad dream." Korekiyo was bad at comforting people, to say the least. Why did he have to comfort Gonta, exactly? There was no reason for him to be so upset over this. It wasn't a big deal. Kiyo had been stopped, so it should be over and done with. 

"But Kiyo still tried to hurt himself, a-and he's done it before, too!"

"They're just little cuts..."

"Not little, Kiyo!"

"I'm fine, I-"

"No you aren't!" After saying this, Gonta grabbed Korekiyo's wrist and pulled back his sleeve, revealing his arm covered in scars. "There's... There's so many, Kiyo, and...!" He didn't finish his sentence.

Kiyo pulled his arm back and slid the sleeve back down. "It's _fine_ , Gonta." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting emotional as well. Gonta cared so much about him, even when he had so many reasons not to. It would be too much work, it might hurt Gonta, Gonta would end up hating Kiyo if he spent too much time with him. But here he was, trying to convince him to stop. It was genuine, Gonta really wanted to help him. It wasn't to make himself feel better because he'd done a good deed or because he would gain something from it. He just wanted Kiyo to feel better.

"I'm... fine...."

"Kiyo, please, just..."

"..."

This time, it was Kiyo who hugged Gonta. They'd been doing that a lot. It seemed to be their thing by now. Hugs were something that could be seen as platonic, they were warm, they were a way to tell somebody you loved them without them knowing. He buried his face in Gonta's shoulder and cried, more emotional than the last time. Much more emotional. He'd been keeping everything to himself for years. Don't show the way you feel, don't say things you might regret, emotions will always harm you. She'd given him this advice, and he'd lived off it.

And now Gonta had forced it out of him.

-

Despite it being late at night and despite Korekiyo being very, very emotional, he managed to not share anything else about his sister. After the waterworks were shut off, they fell asleep exhausted, still holding each other.

Korekiyo was embarrassed when he woke up, to say the least. Thankfully he wakes up much earlier than Gonta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates are probably gonna be a little bit slower for a while as I make some futile attempt to fix my sleep schedule
> 
> Also the next chapters are the Good Parts™ that I've bee in looking forward to writing????? Fucnjin Kiyo trying to confess and be casually intimate and being a total failure at it because he Does Not Know What Actual Love And Friendship Is Like


	23. MEGAMAN 11 CONFIRMED GET HYPED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MEGAMAN 11!!???!??!!!!¿¿!¿?!!??¿!!¿¿?!!!! ELEVEN MEGAMAN ELEVEN NEW ROBOT MASTERS NEW GAME ITS BEEN SO LONG NEW AREAS IM SO FUCKING HAPPY MY ROBOBOYS ARE BACK

Kiyo learned quite a bit about Gonta that night. Aside from being a restless sleeper, he is not as quiet as initially thought. He didn't snore or anything, but he spoke in his sleep. A lot.

This discovery was jarring, to say the least.

"...d-don't... don't touch that..."

_What? Don't touch what? What the fuck??_

"Don't touch... the tail..."

???

"It will... eheheheh. It's gonna spin, around... aroun' an round...."

?????

Kiyo never did find out what he'd been talking about.

He also discovered, after waking up, that Gonta often misplaced his glasses at night. Or, to be more exact, he places them beside him and then knocks them onto the floor in his sleep. The two spent roughly ten minutes searching for the them after Gonta noticed he couldn't find them.

Gonta didn't bring up any of the night's events (Which Kiyo was tremendously grateful for), and left almost immediately after he was dressed. The morning announcement played some time after and Kiyo headed to the dining hall for breakfast, feeling much more refreshed than he had been in quite some time.

-

"Soooooo, what kinda kinky shenanigans did you two fuckmates get into while you were alone unsupervised for the whole night~?"

Tsumugi punched Miu in the arm before asking the same thing herself, only dialed back. "I... can't deny that I'm plainly curious about what you two did as well."

"What are you two expecting?? And please refrain from speaking so loudly, we are surrounded by others."

"GYAHAHAHA! Pssh, as if these fuckin virgins have any interest in your business," Miu retaliated, causing everybody to "subtly" (AKA not so subtly) look in their direction, "and even if they DID care, what the fuck are they gonna do about it?"

Korekiyo got up and walked out of the room, breakfast half finished.

"H-Hey, don't just walk out on me, jackass!" Miu followed him with Tsumugi tagging along behind.

"Kiyo, we still want to know! Please tell us?"

"It was nothing that would be of interest to you two."

"Whaaaat? No way, I don't believe you for a damn second! As IF you'd be stuck with big dick over there without doin a little somethin-somethin!"

"Miu, please, you're probably the reason he doesn't want to tell us."

"I have nothing to share, but if I did, that would certainly be correct."

"So then you ARE hiding some bullshit!"

"What on earth did I say that made you suspect that...?"

The bickering went on for a few minutes before they were interrupted by Kirumi, who came through the door and immediately began scolding them.

"Do you three even realise how loud you're being? The dining room is silent, and they're all listening in. If you wish to have a private conversation, please do it somewhere other than directly outside the dining hall. And the next time you wish to exit, please do so _without_ making a scene. Thank you." And with that, she turned and walked back in, not leaving them a single moment to say a word.

"They could hear all that??" Korekiyo shuddered at the thought of anybody hearing Miu use the phrase "being alone with big dick all night" and having it directed at him. That would certainly raise some unwanted questions.

Miu sighed. "Everyone's a peeping Tom nowadays, eh? Pssh, whatever. We can drill you more about it later today, can't we?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Tsumugi stepped forward. "Um, I believe she means the therapy session. We're meeting at the same place and time, aren't we?"

Oh, right. That.

"Yeah, you ain't gettin outta this, ok cunt? 4:20 SHARP!" She laughed and walked away before Kiyo could really even process what had just happened. Tsumugi have him a quick, sorry glance, and then followed. Wonder what they could be up to...?

Whatever, that didn't matter. He had limited free time, and wanted to spend it doing something he actually looked forward to. And so, he headed to his lab and began looking through his books on courtship, hoping to find advice.

-

Gonta was... an interesting person. Korekiyo had met plenty of nice people in his life, but Gonta was truly selfless, right to his core. He wanted nothing more than to make the people around him feel happy and safe, and he did a damn good job of it. How could people be scared of him?

He was kind to you the moment you met him, so long as you weren't being a generally terrible person or killing any sort of insect. Perhaps it was his appearance? He more closely resembled a teddy bear than any sort of dangerous foe. Though, he was rather heavily built. Absurdly muscular, absurdly tall, and probably absurdly-

No, we have to keep this story out of the Explicit rating. Explicit? Story? Where did that come from? Once again, whatever. Who cares? Probably just a fourth wall break. What fourth wall?

Back to Gonta. He honestly seemed like the perfect human being- no, he wasn't human. He was some sort of God. Not a god of something odd, though, like the God of lightning or God of videogames. Gonta was a god of perfection. He was the PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT of such a concept. There was no denying that. At least, not from what Kiyo could see.

So, such a perfect, ethereal being needed an amazing... date. Was this a date? Yes, that's the proper term...

Was Kiyo really ready for a date?

Back out, this is a bad idea. This won't end well, just stop right now, put the book back. No, don't keep reading through it. That's bad. Well, there isn't even anything good in here. Now put it back. Good Korekiyo. Go get a different book, read up on some historic cultures- no, don't leave the lab. No, you can't "just wing it." Please don't do this to yourself. Korekiyo, why. _Why._

Don't back out. It will be worth it. Even if Gonta rejected him, he'd be too sweet to stop speaking with him entirely. Right? Yeah, that's right. Just keep believing that. Do it now before you even have a chance to change your mind.

-

Gonta had said yes.

Well, technically he hadn't been told it was a date. That was too big a step. It was a date to Korekiyo, though. Oh god.

"Hey, does Kiyo have any place in mind he wants to go?"

"Ah... w-well, why don't we head to the courtyard? There isn't much around there, but just taking a walk could be nice..." People normally spent their days in their labs or with somebody else in THEIR lab, so the courtyard was typically empty. They could be alone this way, with nobody to bug them.

"Ok, then! Gonta will take Kiyo on a walk, then!" He smiled with the brightness of the north star against a pitch black sky; a guiding light, beautiful and trustworthy.

"Alright then, lead the way."

And so Gonta did, with Kiyo right by his side. Kiyo had a new mission in his head. Just a touch, a quick, grazing touch. Brush hands. Like the obvious to-be couples do in romance manga. He won't even notice, it's not as though it would be actual hand holding. Just do it.

But for the life of him, he could not summon the strength to bring his hand to Gonta's. Not even for a second.

-

They had taken a break on their walk, and were sitting in the grass. An unmoving exisal machine sat across from them, about fifty or so yards away. After finishing and revealing all the other buildings, the Monokumarz refused to do any more work until the killing game started, leaving all the foliage in and around the buildings.

With that being said, the grass they were sitting in was rather long, wild, and untamed. But without any fear of bugs (Monokuma claimed to have completely rid the area of them save for Gonta's lab), they could peacefully sit there. 

Gonta stared at the sky beyond the cage. "Kiyo, do you think we could ever escape from here?"

"Mmm... I'm beginning to suspect it isn't possible, but I'd like to believe there is still some hope left. I may not have much to go back to personally, but... I would still greatly appreciate being able to travel and observe again."

"Yeah, Gonta sick of being trapped too. Gonta want to see forest family again, and catch new bugs! Though, Gonta's lab has lots of bugs in it too."

"Yes, my lab is well stocked as well, but... so many books and artifacts can only buy so much time, yes?"

"If Gonta escape... no, WHEN Gonta escape, Gonta is going to show family how much of a gentleman he is now!"

Gonta fell backwards and sprawled out, and Kiyo laid down beside him. Together, they gazed upwards at the bright blue with white rolling by. "When I get out, I'd like to travel and see new things, but... I think..." He paused.

"But you think what?"

"I think... it'd be rather lonely if I travelled alone, like I have all these years before. I've been considering getting a travel partner."

Gonta sat back up and looked down at Kiyo. "Then, Kiyo should definitely get one! More people makes trips more fun, right?"

"Yes, and I was wondering if..."

"Yeah?"

"...nevermind, forget I said anything." Dammit, so close.

"Um, ok..." Gonta looked around for a moment longer before speaking up again. "Hey, do you wanna finish our walk?" He grinned and held his hand out to help Kiyo back up.

-

During the latter half of the walk, a small victory was achieved. He not only managed to brush hands, but Gonta actually held on for a while. A public display of affection, if you will (even though Gonta seemed oblivious to what he was doing).

It was small and really insignificant, but made Kiyo ecstatic nonetheless. As they said their goodbyes when they got back, he grinned under his mask like a madman. Thank god for the mask- he'd die if anybody caught him acting so unlike his usual self.

It was still rather early in the day so he passed the time in his lab, putting more effort than before into finding some sort of helpful advice. Perhaps he should consult the teen romance section in the library instead...

Five minutes past their scheduled meeting time, the trio of terror walked in for their "session."

"You're late," he noted out loud, "and after telling me to be precisely on time, too."

"Pssshh, you're the patient, not the doc! WE get as much time as we need, got it?"

Kiyo simply nodded and took his seat, knowing by now that it was best to just go with it. "Then let's get this over with. I have more important matters I wish to attend to."

-

"...And so, to finish my proposal..."

Kiyo learned back in his seat and silently groaned. Kirumi had been going on for almost an hour now, making plans for him without getting his opinions (though she insisted she WAS listening to him). Thank god she was finally finishing. About five minutes ago, Miu had decided to bail with the excuse of "takin a shit" but she hadn't come back yet. Perhaps he should attempt to follow her example...

Suddenly, the lab door slid open dramatically with a loud _thud_ and Kaede came running in, completely out of breath.

"Kirumi, w-we need you in Hoshi's lab right away! Kaito is... Kaito's hurt, really badly! And, and-"

"Kaede, please calm down. What happened to Kaito?" Kirumi got up from her seat and rushed over with Tsumugi, the latter of which was panicking just as much as the pianist.

"Um, uh, well. We were uh, we were in Hoshi's lab, and we were having a friendly tennis match for fun, and... Monokuma popped up and started taunting us, telling us how boring we were... And Kaito got angry and h-he tried attacking him and Monokuma exploded and now Kaito is hurt and-"

"Exploded!?" Tsumugi exclaimed.

"Kaede, Kaede, take deep breaths, please. You have to calm down, I can barely understand you. Monokuma exploded, you say? And Kaito was caught in the blast?"

"Y-Yeah, he's not dead but he's really badly hurt! Kirumi, you're the closest we have to a nurse... Shuichi and Hoshi are there trying to keep him a-alive, but we don't know if he'll be ok...!"

"Understood. Come with me, Kaede, I'll need you to tell me more details when we get there." She turned back towards the others in the room. "As for you two, please carry on without me. I will join back up tomorrow." Her and Kaede left the room together.

...

Tsumugi snapped out of her confused/panicked state and remembered Korekiyo was there. "Um, well... I think we can both plainly see that Miu isn't planning on returning, and Kirumi just left as well, so... I hope you don't mind if I take my leave as well. See you, Kiyo." She looked worried as she left the room.

Well that was certainly a lot for Kiyo to process in such a short amount of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVENT SEEN MUCH OF OSOMATSU SAN SEASON 2 YET BUT I LEARNED TODAY THAT APPARENTLY CHIBITA AND HATABOU FUCK AND I DONT KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT
> 
> Also dw Kaito is gonna be fine, I just needed Monokuma to destroy his physical body for a later plot and stuff lmao


	24. :(

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey wanna play a game? It's called "guess what Cryo's next hyperfixation will be and how much longer it will take to reach it!!!!!"  
> We've got about four competitors fighting to the death for their next spot in the limelight, all previous contestants: BFDI, Osomatsu San, Megaman, and LoboCorp!  
> Which will take home my full attention for the upcoming months? Will it happen within the week, or am I overexaggerating and in reality have a while longer with Danganronpa? Find out next time on Cryos Personal Hell In Which I Cannot Commit To Anything! Please for the love of god kill me

_"Another?"_

Korekiyo sighed, put the empty prize container back together, and then tossed it aside. This was the third stuffed bear he'd gotten from the damn Monomono machine, and now he was out of coins. Yeah, three coins weren't a lot, but it was practically impossible to find those things around the school with Kaede and Shuichi around. Those two were so good at detecting them that both had well over a thousand, leaving almost none for the other students.

What a useless machine. It was probably rigged to give you the most useless things based on who you were trying to gift. Though, perhaps a plushie wouldn't be the worst gift for Gonta.

How was he even going to get out of that room with the bears, anyways? One bear was hard to hide, but three of them? Kiyo didn't have a backpack or anything like that, what was he supposed to do? Shove them in his pathetically small pockets? That wouldn't work. And if he just left them here, he'd have wasted his monocoins. Oh, right, everybody was in Hoshi's lab with Kaito. He'd have complete privacy.

He had debated going to the lab with everybody else. This was a rare chance; how would people act around somebody injured that badly? But the more Kiyo thought about it, the more he realised that he... honestly didn't care. No, it's not that he didn't care about their reactions, he was actually intensely curious about those. It's just that he didn't think much of Kaito being hurt.

He didn't know him very well, so there wasn't any personal attachment. On top of that, Kiyo didn't have the highest empathy. A lack of emotion would definitely make others believe he was suspicious, and Kiyo didn't want that. He'd had enough experience of being suspicious recently to know it wasn't a fun position to be in. And besides, he wanted to get a gift for Gonta, and he might not have much time to get one later on.

And so here he was, trying to stealthily leave the school store with three stuffed bears and make it to his dorm without anybody spotting him. That would be too embarrassing to handle.

-

His clock read 7:00, quite a while after Kaito's "mishap". Everybody would no doubt still be shaken, but it had been long enough that they'd be significantly calmed down. Hopefully. Time to find Gonta.

Kiyo pulled out his monopad and turned on the map feature, which showed where everybody in the school was. Probably best to not think about how anybody could track down anyone at any time, or when/where the tracking devices were put. Gonta was idle in his dorm.

_Ding-Dong_

After a few seconds of waiting, Gonta came to the door.

"Kiyo, hello! Gonta is glad to see you, but... what was that noise?"

"You mean the buzzer?" He pressed it again as an example. _Ding-Dong._

"Yeah, buzzer! Gonta didn't know his door had something like that!"

"I've noticed. You appear to not be the only one, either." Kiyo recalled the numerous times people have knocked on his door rather than using the buzzer. A startlingly large amount of people seemed to not notice them, and those who did used them very... liberally.

"Oh, ok! Um, sorry if it's not polite to ask, but Gonta is wondering what Kiyo is holding behind his back!"

Korekiyo shifted a bit before holding the bear out in front of him.

"I got it from the monomono machine and thought you might like it. If you don't though, that's fine, I can keep it..."

"No no, Gonta thinks it's adorable! Thank you, Kiyo!"

Gonta gently took the bear from his hands and stared at it. Good, he liked the gift, even though it probably wasn't his first choice. Regardless of how plain and cliche of a gift it was, Gonta looked happy.

"Kuku, it's a good thing you enjoy it. I received two more from the machine in exchange for every coin I had." Kiyo joked awkwardly.

"Really? Yeah, Gonta have same problem. Gonta keeps getting the same gifts, but he already has them! Now Gonta not have any coins left at all." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, sharing the anthropologists awkwardness.

The aforementioned awkwardness lingered for a few silent moments that felt like an eternity.

"...ah, anyways, I just assumed that if anybody would like these, it would be you." Just relax. Kiyo isn't the type to get flustered, and he wasn't going to throw that personality trait away any time soon. He was just giving a simple gift to Gonta, that's all.

"Might not be Gonta's first choice, but since it came from Kiyo, it's special! Thank you!"

Gonta gave another forced laugh and then closed the door (which was not an entirely unexpected reaction), leaving Korekiyo standing there alone.

That could have gone much better...

Though it could have gone worse, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhh short chapter  
> My hyperfixation on danganronpa is rapidly decreasing please for the love of fucking god let me stay interested long enough to finish this fanfic


End file.
